FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE
Statement by President Barack Obama on Egypt
As I have said since the Egyptian Revolution, the United States supports a set of core principles, including opposition to violence, protection of universal human rights, and reform that meets the legitimate aspirations of the people. The United States does not support particular individuals or political parties, but we are committed to the democratic process and respect for the rule of law. Since the current unrest in Egypt began, we have called on all parties to work together to address the legitimate grievances of the Egyptian people, in accordance with the democratic process, and without recourse to violence or the use of force.
The United States is monitoring the very fluid situation in Egypt, and we believe that ultimately the future of Egypt can only be determined by the Egyptian people. Nevertheless, we are deeply concerned by the decision of the Egyptian Armed Forces to remove President Morsy and suspend the Egyptian constitution. I now call on the Egyptian military to move quickly and responsibly to return full authority back to a democratically elected civilian government as soon as possible through an inclusive and transparent process, and to avoid any arbitrary arrests of President Morsy and his supporters. Given today’s developments, I have also directed the relevant departments and agencies to review the implications under U.S. law for our assistance to the Government of Egypt.
The United States continues to believe firmly that the best foundation for lasting stability in Egypt is a democratic political order with participation from all sides and all political parties —secular and religious, civilian and military. During this uncertain period, we expect the military to ensure that the rights of all Egyptian men and women are protected, including the right to peaceful assembly, due process, and free and fair trials in civilian courts. Moreover, the goal of any political process should be a government that respects the rights of all people, majority and minority; that institutionalizes the checks and balances upon which democracy depends; and that places the interests of the people above party or faction. The voices of all those who have protested peacefully must be heard – including those who welcomed today’s developments, and those who have supported President Morsy. In the interim, I urge all sides to avoid violence and come together to ensure the lasting restoration of Egypt’s democracy.
No transition to democracy comes without difficulty, but in the end it must stay true to the will of the people. An honest, capable and representative government is what ordinary Egyptians seek and what they deserve. The longstanding partnership between the United States and Egypt is based on shared interests and values, and we will continue to work with the Egyptian people to ensure that Egypt’s transition to democracy succeeds.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
U.S.-BANGLADESH RELATIONS STATE DEPARTMENT FACT SHEET
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
U.S. Relations With Bangladesh
Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs
Fact Sheet
July 2, 2013
U.S.-BANGLADESH RELATIONS
The United States established diplomatic relations with Bangladesh in 1972 following its independence from Pakistan. U.S.-Bangladesh relations are excellent and reflect the two countries' strong bonds of friendship and shared values. Bangladesh is a key U.S. strategic partner in South Asia. The country’s efforts at development, countering violent extremism, assisting international peacekeeping, and improving regional connectivity are vital to regional and global stability. The U.S.-Bangladesh Partnership Dialogue advances shared bilateral, regional, and global objectives and gives strategic direction to ongoing and future cooperative activities. The second U.S.-Bangladesh Partnership Dialogue meeting, held in Dhaka May 26-27, 2013, covered a wide variety of topics: democracy and governance, trade and investment, security cooperation and regional integration.
Bangladesh has made progress toward a more prosperous and democratic society. Despite improvements, much of the population still lives in poverty and the country faces major vulnerabilities in the areas of infrastructure shortcomings, governance, and potential terrorist exploitation by extremist groups. These challenges are compounded by the fact that Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world.
U.S. Assistance to Bangladesh
U.S. assistance seeks to foster robust engagement with the Government of Bangladesh and complement support from other donors to address the underlying social, demographic, and economic factors that threaten democratic governance, stifle economic growth, and increase vulnerability to extremism in Bangladesh. The United States aims to build on previous gains to further reduce poverty and food insecurity, improve health and education, mitigate the impact of frequent natural disasters, and achieve more effective governance in order to foster equitable and sustainable growth.
Bilateral Economic Relations
U.S. exports to Bangladesh include agricultural products (cotton, wheat, dairy products), aircraft, machinery, and iron and steel products. U.S. imports from Bangladesh include apparel, other textile products, headgear, shrimp and prawns, and agricultural products (primarily tobacco). The United States is one of Bangladesh’s largest export markets. The two countries have signed a bilateral investment treaty and a bilateral treaty for the avoidance of double taxation. Bangladesh provides several tax, foreign exchange, customs, and labor incentives to investors in its export processing zones. On June 27, 2013, President Barack Obama suspended Bangladesh’s designation as a beneficiary country under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program, citing Bangladesh’s inability to take steps to adopt internationally recognized workers rights. The decision to suspend Bangladesh’s designation came after a multi-year review by the U.S. Trade Representative.
Bangladesh's Membership in International Organizations
Bangladesh and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, ASEAN Regional Forum, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization.
U.S. Relations With Bangladesh
Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs
Fact Sheet
July 2, 2013
U.S.-BANGLADESH RELATIONS
The United States established diplomatic relations with Bangladesh in 1972 following its independence from Pakistan. U.S.-Bangladesh relations are excellent and reflect the two countries' strong bonds of friendship and shared values. Bangladesh is a key U.S. strategic partner in South Asia. The country’s efforts at development, countering violent extremism, assisting international peacekeeping, and improving regional connectivity are vital to regional and global stability. The U.S.-Bangladesh Partnership Dialogue advances shared bilateral, regional, and global objectives and gives strategic direction to ongoing and future cooperative activities. The second U.S.-Bangladesh Partnership Dialogue meeting, held in Dhaka May 26-27, 2013, covered a wide variety of topics: democracy and governance, trade and investment, security cooperation and regional integration.
Bangladesh has made progress toward a more prosperous and democratic society. Despite improvements, much of the population still lives in poverty and the country faces major vulnerabilities in the areas of infrastructure shortcomings, governance, and potential terrorist exploitation by extremist groups. These challenges are compounded by the fact that Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world.
U.S. Assistance to Bangladesh
U.S. assistance seeks to foster robust engagement with the Government of Bangladesh and complement support from other donors to address the underlying social, demographic, and economic factors that threaten democratic governance, stifle economic growth, and increase vulnerability to extremism in Bangladesh. The United States aims to build on previous gains to further reduce poverty and food insecurity, improve health and education, mitigate the impact of frequent natural disasters, and achieve more effective governance in order to foster equitable and sustainable growth.
Bilateral Economic Relations
U.S. exports to Bangladesh include agricultural products (cotton, wheat, dairy products), aircraft, machinery, and iron and steel products. U.S. imports from Bangladesh include apparel, other textile products, headgear, shrimp and prawns, and agricultural products (primarily tobacco). The United States is one of Bangladesh’s largest export markets. The two countries have signed a bilateral investment treaty and a bilateral treaty for the avoidance of double taxation. Bangladesh provides several tax, foreign exchange, customs, and labor incentives to investors in its export processing zones. On June 27, 2013, President Barack Obama suspended Bangladesh’s designation as a beneficiary country under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program, citing Bangladesh’s inability to take steps to adopt internationally recognized workers rights. The decision to suspend Bangladesh’s designation came after a multi-year review by the U.S. Trade Representative.
Bangladesh's Membership in International Organizations
Bangladesh and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, ASEAN Regional Forum, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization.
SENATOR LEVIN'S FLOOR STATEMENT ON IMMIGRATION BILL
FROM: U.S. SENATOR CARL LEVIN'S WEBSITE BORDER SECURITY
Levin floor statement on the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Mr. President, I will support the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act.
This comprehensive approach will bring order to the visa program for H-1B applications and H-2A agricultural guest workers, thereby enhancing their contributions to the U.S. economy.
The legislation protects our workforce by ensuring that employers who knowingly hire, recruit, refer, or continue to employ an unauthorized immigrant or fail to comply with E-Verify requirements are appropriately sanctioned.
I believe that it is imperative that those who followed the rules receive legal status before those who didn’t, and this bill does that. The bill also creates a tough but fair legalization process for undocumented immigrants to apply for Registered Provisional Immigrant (RPI) status if they have been in the U.S. since December 31, 2011, have not been convicted of a felony or three or more misdemeanors, pay their assessed taxes, pass background checks, and pay penalty fees.
The bill recognizes those who came here as young children illegally, through no fault of their own, and provides them with an expedited pathway to legal permanent residence status.
The bill also includes provisions supported by both labor and business organizations that update the nonimmigrant visa processes to respond to workforce needs. It includes important provisions to help unify families and to support adoptions. And it corrects problems that we currently have in the immigration removal, detention, and court processes and increases penalties for those who engage in criminal activity.
It protects refugees, who come to our country seeking protection from persecution. The bill streamlines processing in refugee and asylum cases by eliminating the one-year asylum filing deadline, eliminating family reunification barriers for asylees and refugees, authorizing streamlined processing of certain high risk refugee groups, giving trained asylum officers initial jurisdiction over an asylum claim after credible fear is shown, and permits qualified stateless individuals to apply for lawful permanent resident status.
This legislation will help our economy grow. And according to the Congressional Budget Office, the legislation will decrease federal budget deficits by about $197 billion over the 2014–2023 period. It will increase federal revenues by $459 billion over the 2014–2023 period.
Mr. President, I congratulate and thank my colleagues for all of their hard work on this important legislation. The Senate worked in a bipartisan fashion on a nonpartisan issue. I am hopeful that the House of Representatives will do the same.
Levin floor statement on the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Mr. President, I will support the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act.
This comprehensive approach will bring order to the visa program for H-1B applications and H-2A agricultural guest workers, thereby enhancing their contributions to the U.S. economy.
The legislation protects our workforce by ensuring that employers who knowingly hire, recruit, refer, or continue to employ an unauthorized immigrant or fail to comply with E-Verify requirements are appropriately sanctioned.
I believe that it is imperative that those who followed the rules receive legal status before those who didn’t, and this bill does that. The bill also creates a tough but fair legalization process for undocumented immigrants to apply for Registered Provisional Immigrant (RPI) status if they have been in the U.S. since December 31, 2011, have not been convicted of a felony or three or more misdemeanors, pay their assessed taxes, pass background checks, and pay penalty fees.
The bill recognizes those who came here as young children illegally, through no fault of their own, and provides them with an expedited pathway to legal permanent residence status.
The bill also includes provisions supported by both labor and business organizations that update the nonimmigrant visa processes to respond to workforce needs. It includes important provisions to help unify families and to support adoptions. And it corrects problems that we currently have in the immigration removal, detention, and court processes and increases penalties for those who engage in criminal activity.
It protects refugees, who come to our country seeking protection from persecution. The bill streamlines processing in refugee and asylum cases by eliminating the one-year asylum filing deadline, eliminating family reunification barriers for asylees and refugees, authorizing streamlined processing of certain high risk refugee groups, giving trained asylum officers initial jurisdiction over an asylum claim after credible fear is shown, and permits qualified stateless individuals to apply for lawful permanent resident status.
This legislation will help our economy grow. And according to the Congressional Budget Office, the legislation will decrease federal budget deficits by about $197 billion over the 2014–2023 period. It will increase federal revenues by $459 billion over the 2014–2023 period.
Mr. President, I congratulate and thank my colleagues for all of their hard work on this important legislation. The Senate worked in a bipartisan fashion on a nonpartisan issue. I am hopeful that the House of Representatives will do the same.
MILITARY FAMILIES HELPED TO AVOID FINANCIAL SCAMS
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
DOD Helps Military Families Avoid Money Scams
By Terri Moon Cronk
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 1, 2013 - While dodging financial scams seem to have become a part of life, Defense Department officials have measures to protect the military community from such circumstances, a senior Pentagon official said in a recent interview.
Scamming incidents in the military parallel those in the civilian community, Barbara Thompson, director of the Defense Department's office of family policy, children and youth, told American Forces Press Service.
But scammers might target military families because of service members' dependable incomes and frequent moves, opening them up to potential scams that can affect their financial readiness when renting or buying a home and securing car loans, she added.
"It's really important that we look at our entire [financial] readiness campaign as a way to empower our service members and their families to have the flexibility to meet the goals and dreams of their future," she said.
It's vital for military families to do their research and build their awareness against scams, she added, and myriad resources to help in this endeavor are available on and off military installations.
"You may decide to do a move on your own and find someone who doesn't have liability insurance, or doesn't deliver your household goods to your residence [and instead] goes off with them," Thompson said.
She also warned against house closure, auto loan and credit and debit card scams. "Sometimes, they look official and as though they're sponsored by a government agency, but it's deceit," she added.
Installation legal assistance officers can help when such issues arise, and certified financial counselors can provide support, guidance and advice at family assistance centers on military installations, she said. The counselors know the community and are likely to be aware of less-than-scrupulous vendors and service providers, she said.
The Military OneSource website offers a wealth of resources such as financial counseling and tip sheets on how to be a good consumer and avoid pitfalls, Thompson said.
DOD also has federal partners in the battle against financial scams, such as the Federal Trade Commission's Scam Watch, and the Treasury Department's Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where one can register a complaint that will be investigated, Thompson said.
The Better Business Bureau Military Line compiles information on businesses that are less than reputable, Thompson said, and installation commanders also have the ability to put unscrupulous businesses on a list, she added.
Getting references from friends and colleagues and staying away from businesses that have negative consumer feedback are important steps, she said. Using the installation's credit union or bank also will help to ensure good choices in the community, she noted.
If a military family does find itself to be a victim of a scam, DOD also offers resources to help.
Consulting with the legal assistance officer on the installation only helps with recourse, Thompson said, but also advises the installation of a business that's not reputable to protect other service members and their families.
"You learn a lesson, but you also make sure somebody else is not taken advantage of," she added.
"The bottom line is you have to be a smart and savvy consumer," Thompson said. "You need to really think about your purchases, your purchasing power, and do your due diligence to make sure you're getting the right information and the right product for the money you're going to spend."
DOD Helps Military Families Avoid Money Scams
By Terri Moon Cronk
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 1, 2013 - While dodging financial scams seem to have become a part of life, Defense Department officials have measures to protect the military community from such circumstances, a senior Pentagon official said in a recent interview.
Scamming incidents in the military parallel those in the civilian community, Barbara Thompson, director of the Defense Department's office of family policy, children and youth, told American Forces Press Service.
But scammers might target military families because of service members' dependable incomes and frequent moves, opening them up to potential scams that can affect their financial readiness when renting or buying a home and securing car loans, she added.
"It's really important that we look at our entire [financial] readiness campaign as a way to empower our service members and their families to have the flexibility to meet the goals and dreams of their future," she said.
It's vital for military families to do their research and build their awareness against scams, she added, and myriad resources to help in this endeavor are available on and off military installations.
"You may decide to do a move on your own and find someone who doesn't have liability insurance, or doesn't deliver your household goods to your residence [and instead] goes off with them," Thompson said.
She also warned against house closure, auto loan and credit and debit card scams. "Sometimes, they look official and as though they're sponsored by a government agency, but it's deceit," she added.
Installation legal assistance officers can help when such issues arise, and certified financial counselors can provide support, guidance and advice at family assistance centers on military installations, she said. The counselors know the community and are likely to be aware of less-than-scrupulous vendors and service providers, she said.
The Military OneSource website offers a wealth of resources such as financial counseling and tip sheets on how to be a good consumer and avoid pitfalls, Thompson said.
DOD also has federal partners in the battle against financial scams, such as the Federal Trade Commission's Scam Watch, and the Treasury Department's Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where one can register a complaint that will be investigated, Thompson said.
The Better Business Bureau Military Line compiles information on businesses that are less than reputable, Thompson said, and installation commanders also have the ability to put unscrupulous businesses on a list, she added.
Getting references from friends and colleagues and staying away from businesses that have negative consumer feedback are important steps, she said. Using the installation's credit union or bank also will help to ensure good choices in the community, she noted.
If a military family does find itself to be a victim of a scam, DOD also offers resources to help.
Consulting with the legal assistance officer on the installation only helps with recourse, Thompson said, but also advises the installation of a business that's not reputable to protect other service members and their families.
"You learn a lesson, but you also make sure somebody else is not taken advantage of," she added.
"The bottom line is you have to be a smart and savvy consumer," Thompson said. "You need to really think about your purchases, your purchasing power, and do your due diligence to make sure you're getting the right information and the right product for the money you're going to spend."
U.S. OFFICAL ASSURES LEBANESE PEOPLE OF U.S. COMMITMENT TO STABILITY
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Press Availability in Beirut
Press Availability
William J. Burns
Deputy Secretary of State
Washington, DC
July 1, 2013
Good afternoon. I am very pleased to be back in Beirut today and to stand with the Lebanese people during this very challenging time in the region -- one with significant implications for Lebanon’s future. I had productive meetings today with President Sleiman, Caretaker Prime Minister Mikati, Lebanese Armed Forces Commanding General Kahwagi, Speaker Berri, and other senior Lebanese leaders.
Let me begin by thanking President Sleiman for his hospitality. The President deserves recognition for his steadfast leadership during this difficult period of political transition at home and instability in the region. In today’s meeting, I emphasized the United States strong and enduring commitment to Lebanon’s stability, sovereignty, and independence, and our desire to continue to strengthen our long-standing partnership with the government and people of Lebanon. I also conveyed to the President our condolences and deepest sympathies for members of the Lebanese Armed Forces and innocent civilians killed and injured in last week’s violence in Sidon. I assured him of the United States unwavering support for the LAF, including training and equipment to assist security forces in their critical role of preserving Lebanon’s unity.
At a time of regional tumult and domestic uncertainty, it is deeply in the self-interest of all Lebanese to exercise restraint and respect for Lebanon’s stability and security, to defend the institutions of the state, and to preserve Lebanon’s democratic traditions. The decisions to delay elections scheduled for this year and boycott the Constitutional Council shake the confidence of the international community in Lebanon’s institutions. More importantly, these actions undermine the faith of the Lebanese people in their own government.
Despite its membership in the Lebanese Government, Hizballah has decided to put its own interests and those of its foreign backers above those of the Lebanese people. We condemn in the strongest terms Hizballah’s actions in Syria -- they directly contradict the organization’s commitment to the Baabda Declaration, stand in direct violation of Lebanon’s disassociation policy, and place the future of Lebanon at risk. We call on all parties to respect the disassociation policy and preserve Lebanese stability and unity.
We recognize the enormous burden the conflict in Syria places on Lebanon. The way in which the Lebanese Government and people have so generously opened their homes, schools, and communities to over 500,000 Syrian refugees has inspired us all.
Last week, President Obama announced an additional $300 million in humanitarian assistance for Syria and its neighbors. The single largest portion of these funds -- $72 million -- will help refugees in Lebanon and their host communities. We will continue to work with other donors and partners to ensure that the international community provides Lebanon with the urgent humanitarian and development assistance it needs.
Again, it’s a pleasure to be back in Lebanon, and now I’d be glad to take a few questions.
QUESTION: Do Hizballah’s actions in Syria reflect on its participation in the new government?
DEPUTY SECRETARY BURNS: As I made clear in my opening remarks, the United States condemns Hizballah’s intervention in Syria. That intervention may be in Hizballah’s interest, it may be in the interest of Iran, it may be in the interest of Bashar al-Assad, but it is certainly not in the interest of Lebanon or the Lebanese people. We continue to strongly support the disassociation policy, the policy to which Hizballah committed itself in the Baabda Declaration. We are deeply concerned that its intervention will undercut the interests not only of the Syrian people, but also the people of Lebanon.
QUESTION: Sir, you spoke of assistance to the LAF. Will assistance be in anyway affected by Hizballah’s [inaudible] in Saida alongside the Lebanese army?
DEPUTY SECRETARY BURNS: Our support for the LAF as an essential state institution in Lebanon, as I mentioned in my remarks, is strong and enduring. We have provided since 2006 nearly a billion dollars in training and equipment for the LAF and for the Internal Security Forces. We are determined to continue to provide that kind of support given the LAF’s role in helping to unite people across Lebanese society. I want to repeat again our condolences for the loss of life from the LAF and also innocent civilians in the clashes that took place in Sidon. I understand there is also an investigation into those clashes.
QUESTION: You spoke about certain measures to support Lebanon, especially as long as they show greater involvement of the Syrian problem in Lebanon. What are these measures? Any actions by the United Nations or others?
DEPUTY SECRETARY BURNS: There are a number of different ways in which the United States is determined, as Secretary Kerry promised in his telephone conversation with President Sleiman, to reinforce our commitment. Secretary Kerry’s call, President Obama’s earlier telephone conversation with President Sleiman, my visit, and the possible visit of Senator McCain and Senator Graham over the course of the next couple of days all are clear indications of continuing U.S. support. In terms of diplomatic support, we are going to continue to work with other friends and partners of Lebanon in this region and in the international community to strengthen our commitment to Lebanon’s sovereignty and unity.
I mentioned earlier a third dimension of our support, which is our continuing provision of training and equipment to the LAF and the ISF as well. We are also looking for ways that we can strengthen the economic relationship between Lebanon and the United States, which is important. The United States is already Lebanon’s number one trading partner, and I think there are a number of ways in which we can expand our trade and investment relationship in the future. Finally, I would reinforce our commitment to helping the Lebanese Government and the people of Lebanon to deal with the huge burden posed by refugees from Syria. And by that I mean, the $72 million for Lebanon that was announced recently by President Obama, which is part of our overall $160 million in humanitarian aid for Lebanon. This aid goes not only for Syrian refugees directly, but also to the Lebanese communities that host them – for their schools, for their hospitals, and for the kinds of institutions that are overburdened right now, but which are an important reflection of the generosity of the people of Lebanon. So there are a number of ways in which we’re going to continue to increase our support for Lebanon and for its people. Thank you very much.
Press Availability in Beirut
Press Availability
William J. Burns
Deputy Secretary of State
Washington, DC
July 1, 2013
Good afternoon. I am very pleased to be back in Beirut today and to stand with the Lebanese people during this very challenging time in the region -- one with significant implications for Lebanon’s future. I had productive meetings today with President Sleiman, Caretaker Prime Minister Mikati, Lebanese Armed Forces Commanding General Kahwagi, Speaker Berri, and other senior Lebanese leaders.
Let me begin by thanking President Sleiman for his hospitality. The President deserves recognition for his steadfast leadership during this difficult period of political transition at home and instability in the region. In today’s meeting, I emphasized the United States strong and enduring commitment to Lebanon’s stability, sovereignty, and independence, and our desire to continue to strengthen our long-standing partnership with the government and people of Lebanon. I also conveyed to the President our condolences and deepest sympathies for members of the Lebanese Armed Forces and innocent civilians killed and injured in last week’s violence in Sidon. I assured him of the United States unwavering support for the LAF, including training and equipment to assist security forces in their critical role of preserving Lebanon’s unity.
At a time of regional tumult and domestic uncertainty, it is deeply in the self-interest of all Lebanese to exercise restraint and respect for Lebanon’s stability and security, to defend the institutions of the state, and to preserve Lebanon’s democratic traditions. The decisions to delay elections scheduled for this year and boycott the Constitutional Council shake the confidence of the international community in Lebanon’s institutions. More importantly, these actions undermine the faith of the Lebanese people in their own government.
Despite its membership in the Lebanese Government, Hizballah has decided to put its own interests and those of its foreign backers above those of the Lebanese people. We condemn in the strongest terms Hizballah’s actions in Syria -- they directly contradict the organization’s commitment to the Baabda Declaration, stand in direct violation of Lebanon’s disassociation policy, and place the future of Lebanon at risk. We call on all parties to respect the disassociation policy and preserve Lebanese stability and unity.
We recognize the enormous burden the conflict in Syria places on Lebanon. The way in which the Lebanese Government and people have so generously opened their homes, schools, and communities to over 500,000 Syrian refugees has inspired us all.
Last week, President Obama announced an additional $300 million in humanitarian assistance for Syria and its neighbors. The single largest portion of these funds -- $72 million -- will help refugees in Lebanon and their host communities. We will continue to work with other donors and partners to ensure that the international community provides Lebanon with the urgent humanitarian and development assistance it needs.
Again, it’s a pleasure to be back in Lebanon, and now I’d be glad to take a few questions.
QUESTION: Do Hizballah’s actions in Syria reflect on its participation in the new government?
DEPUTY SECRETARY BURNS: As I made clear in my opening remarks, the United States condemns Hizballah’s intervention in Syria. That intervention may be in Hizballah’s interest, it may be in the interest of Iran, it may be in the interest of Bashar al-Assad, but it is certainly not in the interest of Lebanon or the Lebanese people. We continue to strongly support the disassociation policy, the policy to which Hizballah committed itself in the Baabda Declaration. We are deeply concerned that its intervention will undercut the interests not only of the Syrian people, but also the people of Lebanon.
QUESTION: Sir, you spoke of assistance to the LAF. Will assistance be in anyway affected by Hizballah’s [inaudible] in Saida alongside the Lebanese army?
DEPUTY SECRETARY BURNS: Our support for the LAF as an essential state institution in Lebanon, as I mentioned in my remarks, is strong and enduring. We have provided since 2006 nearly a billion dollars in training and equipment for the LAF and for the Internal Security Forces. We are determined to continue to provide that kind of support given the LAF’s role in helping to unite people across Lebanese society. I want to repeat again our condolences for the loss of life from the LAF and also innocent civilians in the clashes that took place in Sidon. I understand there is also an investigation into those clashes.
QUESTION: You spoke about certain measures to support Lebanon, especially as long as they show greater involvement of the Syrian problem in Lebanon. What are these measures? Any actions by the United Nations or others?
DEPUTY SECRETARY BURNS: There are a number of different ways in which the United States is determined, as Secretary Kerry promised in his telephone conversation with President Sleiman, to reinforce our commitment. Secretary Kerry’s call, President Obama’s earlier telephone conversation with President Sleiman, my visit, and the possible visit of Senator McCain and Senator Graham over the course of the next couple of days all are clear indications of continuing U.S. support. In terms of diplomatic support, we are going to continue to work with other friends and partners of Lebanon in this region and in the international community to strengthen our commitment to Lebanon’s sovereignty and unity.
I mentioned earlier a third dimension of our support, which is our continuing provision of training and equipment to the LAF and the ISF as well. We are also looking for ways that we can strengthen the economic relationship between Lebanon and the United States, which is important. The United States is already Lebanon’s number one trading partner, and I think there are a number of ways in which we can expand our trade and investment relationship in the future. Finally, I would reinforce our commitment to helping the Lebanese Government and the people of Lebanon to deal with the huge burden posed by refugees from Syria. And by that I mean, the $72 million for Lebanon that was announced recently by President Obama, which is part of our overall $160 million in humanitarian aid for Lebanon. This aid goes not only for Syrian refugees directly, but also to the Lebanese communities that host them – for their schools, for their hospitals, and for the kinds of institutions that are overburdened right now, but which are an important reflection of the generosity of the people of Lebanon. So there are a number of ways in which we’re going to continue to increase our support for Lebanon and for its people. Thank you very much.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
FIRE FIGHTING AIRCRAFT REPOSITIONED IN ARIZONA
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Forest Service Repositions Firefighting Aircraft to Arizona
From an Air Expeditionary Group (Provisional) – Wildland Fire Fighting News Release
BOISE, Idaho, July 2, 2013 - The U.S. Forest Service, through the National Interagency Fire Center here, has directed the repositioning of military Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System aircraft from Colorado Springs, Colo., to Mesa, Ariz.
"The weather and progress on the ground have helped us in the Four Corners region," said Air Force Col. Charles D. Davis III, commander of the Air Expeditionary Group (Provisional) – Wildland Fire Fighting, located at the NIFC here. "By [tomorrow], we plan to have relocated all four airplanes and their crews to Arizona."
One MAFFS aircraft left Colorado Springs yesterday evening to drop fire retardant on the Dean Peak fire, a wildland blaze burning east of Kingman, Ariz., in an effort to draw suppression lines and help to contain the fire. Following the mission where it dropped 3,000 gallons of retardant, it landed at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in Mesa, the former Williams Air Force Base, where it stayed the night. A second aircraft due to fly the same mission did not take off due to thunderstorms over the fire site.
Air expeditionary group officials said they intend to have all four MAFFS aircraft ready to make drops in Arizona by noon tomorrow, operating from Phoenix-Mesa Gateway. Two aircraft each are from Air Force Reserve Command's 302nd Airlift Wing at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., and the California Air National Guard's 146th Airlift Wing, based at Channel Islands Air National Guard Station.
"The relocation of the MAFFS resources does not mean MAFFS aircraft will be unavailable should they be needed in the region again if the [Forest Service] determines that is necessary," Davis said. Four additional MAFFS-capable C-130s are operated by Air National Guard units in North Carolina and Wyoming, and can be called on if needed, officials said.
MAFFS initially activated June 11 to assist in fighting forest fires in southern Colorado after the Forest Service sent a request for assistance to the Defense Department though U.S. Northern Command. Forest Service officials requested two additional MAFFS tankers June 21. Since activating, MAFFS aircraft have made 70 drops on Colorado and Arizona fires, using some 190,000 gallons of fire retardant.
MAFFS is a self-contained aerial firefighting system owned by the Forest Service. MAFFS modules are loaded into the cargo bays of military C-130 aircraft. Following Forest Service lead planes, military aircrews can discharge 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant from the MAFFS modules along the leading edge of a forest fire in less than five seconds and cover an area a quarter of a mile long by 100 feet wide. Once the load is discharged, ground crews at a MAFFS tanker base can refill the modules in less than 12 minutes.
A joint DOD and Forest Service program, MAFFS provides aerial firefighting resources when commercial and private air tankers are no longer able to meet the Forest Service's needs. The military air expeditionary group exercises control over MAFFS resources at the direction of the Forest Service.
U.S. Northern Command is the joint combatant command formed in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to provide homeland defense and defense support of civil authorities. It provides DOD capabilities for disaster response operations in support of the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Interagency Fire Center, and state and local officials.
Forest Service Repositions Firefighting Aircraft to Arizona
From an Air Expeditionary Group (Provisional) – Wildland Fire Fighting News Release
BOISE, Idaho, July 2, 2013 - The U.S. Forest Service, through the National Interagency Fire Center here, has directed the repositioning of military Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System aircraft from Colorado Springs, Colo., to Mesa, Ariz.
"The weather and progress on the ground have helped us in the Four Corners region," said Air Force Col. Charles D. Davis III, commander of the Air Expeditionary Group (Provisional) – Wildland Fire Fighting, located at the NIFC here. "By [tomorrow], we plan to have relocated all four airplanes and their crews to Arizona."
One MAFFS aircraft left Colorado Springs yesterday evening to drop fire retardant on the Dean Peak fire, a wildland blaze burning east of Kingman, Ariz., in an effort to draw suppression lines and help to contain the fire. Following the mission where it dropped 3,000 gallons of retardant, it landed at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in Mesa, the former Williams Air Force Base, where it stayed the night. A second aircraft due to fly the same mission did not take off due to thunderstorms over the fire site.
Air expeditionary group officials said they intend to have all four MAFFS aircraft ready to make drops in Arizona by noon tomorrow, operating from Phoenix-Mesa Gateway. Two aircraft each are from Air Force Reserve Command's 302nd Airlift Wing at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., and the California Air National Guard's 146th Airlift Wing, based at Channel Islands Air National Guard Station.
"The relocation of the MAFFS resources does not mean MAFFS aircraft will be unavailable should they be needed in the region again if the [Forest Service] determines that is necessary," Davis said. Four additional MAFFS-capable C-130s are operated by Air National Guard units in North Carolina and Wyoming, and can be called on if needed, officials said.
MAFFS initially activated June 11 to assist in fighting forest fires in southern Colorado after the Forest Service sent a request for assistance to the Defense Department though U.S. Northern Command. Forest Service officials requested two additional MAFFS tankers June 21. Since activating, MAFFS aircraft have made 70 drops on Colorado and Arizona fires, using some 190,000 gallons of fire retardant.
MAFFS is a self-contained aerial firefighting system owned by the Forest Service. MAFFS modules are loaded into the cargo bays of military C-130 aircraft. Following Forest Service lead planes, military aircrews can discharge 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant from the MAFFS modules along the leading edge of a forest fire in less than five seconds and cover an area a quarter of a mile long by 100 feet wide. Once the load is discharged, ground crews at a MAFFS tanker base can refill the modules in less than 12 minutes.
A joint DOD and Forest Service program, MAFFS provides aerial firefighting resources when commercial and private air tankers are no longer able to meet the Forest Service's needs. The military air expeditionary group exercises control over MAFFS resources at the direction of the Forest Service.
U.S. Northern Command is the joint combatant command formed in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to provide homeland defense and defense support of civil authorities. It provides DOD capabilities for disaster response operations in support of the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Interagency Fire Center, and state and local officials.
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE HAGEL HAS MESSAGE ON ALL-VOLUNTEER FORCE ANNIVERSARY
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Hagel Notes 40th Anniversary of All-volunteer Force
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 1, 2013 - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel today issued a message to the men and women of the Defense Department to mark the 40th anniversary of the nation's all-volunteer force.
Here is the text of the secretary's message:
Forty years ago today, the Department of Defense implemented one of the most consequential and far-reaching changes in the history of America's armed forces with the establishment of the all-volunteer force.
In commemorating the birth of our modern military, we recognize and thank the millions of men and women and their families who have served our country – on active duty, in the reserves, and in the National Guard. Skeptics and detractors claimed an all-volunteer force could not be sustained, but these remarkable Americans proved otherwise. They helped win the Cold War, stood against aggression in the Persian Gulf, kept peace in the Balkans, and put their lives on the line in Iraq and Afghanistan in the years since 9/11. They choose to serve our country because they believe in a cause that is bigger than themselves. They've always put the interests of the nation first, as have their families. It's because of their sense of duty that the American military remains the most trusted institution in our society today.
Our all-volunteer force faces challenges. It will need to rebalance, adapt, and evolve, as it has over the last 40 years. America's all-volunteer force will continue to make our military the strongest, most capable, and most respected fighting force in the history of the world.
Hagel Notes 40th Anniversary of All-volunteer Force
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 1, 2013 - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel today issued a message to the men and women of the Defense Department to mark the 40th anniversary of the nation's all-volunteer force.
Here is the text of the secretary's message:
Forty years ago today, the Department of Defense implemented one of the most consequential and far-reaching changes in the history of America's armed forces with the establishment of the all-volunteer force.
In commemorating the birth of our modern military, we recognize and thank the millions of men and women and their families who have served our country – on active duty, in the reserves, and in the National Guard. Skeptics and detractors claimed an all-volunteer force could not be sustained, but these remarkable Americans proved otherwise. They helped win the Cold War, stood against aggression in the Persian Gulf, kept peace in the Balkans, and put their lives on the line in Iraq and Afghanistan in the years since 9/11. They choose to serve our country because they believe in a cause that is bigger than themselves. They've always put the interests of the nation first, as have their families. It's because of their sense of duty that the American military remains the most trusted institution in our society today.
Our all-volunteer force faces challenges. It will need to rebalance, adapt, and evolve, as it has over the last 40 years. America's all-volunteer force will continue to make our military the strongest, most capable, and most respected fighting force in the history of the world.
FACT SHEET: 2013 ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
U.S. Engagement in the 2013 ASEAN Regional Forum
Fact Sheet
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
July 2, 2013
On July 2, Secretary of State John Kerry led the United States’ delegation to the 20th Meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. ARF is the region’s main forum for promoting security. ARF holds on average twenty-five events annually across several key security areas: preventive diplomacy, counter-terrorism and transnational crime, disaster relief, maritime security, and nonproliferation and disarmament. The United States is actively engaged in all of these events and is committed to working through the ARF process to enhance peace, security, and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.
Preventive Diplomacy
ASEAN established ARF as part of an effort to maintain peace and stability in the region and to promote regional development and prosperity. ARF is expanding its solutions-oriented programming to include robust confidence building measures and preventative diplomacy activities, such as election monitoring.
Advancing ARF from a forum for confidence building to a body capable of preventive diplomacy is the United States’ highest priority for ARF. For this reason, the United States is collaborating with New Zealand, Brunei, and China to develop training in the region on preventive diplomacy. This effort will help establish a foundation for ARF’s progression toward a conflict resolution capability as envisioned in its founding document.
The United States continues to provide an annual submission to the ARF Security Outlook that provides a comprehensive outline of U.S. regional security policies and capabilities in the region, to encourage full transparency in military resources and strategy among ARF members.
In May, the United States and Malaysia co-chaired the ARF Experts and Eminent Persons Group (EEP) in Honolulu, Hawaii. The EEP are a non-governmental group that provides recommendations on topics such as preventive diplomacy, regional architecture, and the future direction of ARF. This year’s meeting provided twelve specific recommendations on topics ranging from the role of the EEP in ARF to the development of ARF into a preventive diplomacy body.
Counter-terrorism and Transnational Crime
ARF addresses four core areas within its work on counterterrorism and transnational crime: illicit drugs; cyber security; counter-radicalization; and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) issues. ARF is making efforts to improve collaboration among regional governments to address these issues:
In March 2012, the United States partnered with Vietnam to conduct the first ARF seminar on countering the threat of proxy actors in cyber space. Last year ARF increased its focus on cyber issues and issued a ministerial statement on cooperation in cyber security. Under direction from the ministers, ARF is developing a work plan on cyber security issues.
The United States is seeking partnership with an ASEAN country to conduct the first in a series of cyber workshops focused on developing confidence building measures for the region. As national security interests are increasingly tied to cyberspace, the development of confidence building measures that facilitate increased transparency, greater cooperation and improved capacity within the region is essential to reducing the risk of future conflict.
Since 2009, the U.S. has partnered with the Philippines and Australia to hold yearly ARF workshops raising awareness of biosecurity threats and other issues and sharing practical experiences. This series of workshops led to the development of a document of best practices for bio-risk management for ministerial approval. The ARF Cross-Sectoral Security Cooperation on Bio-Preparedness and Disaster Response project, also for ministerial approval, is a follow-on series of workshops and activities designed to implement these best practices with the objective of enhancing regional capacity for preparedness and collective response to a biological event.
The U.S. and Thailand continue to work with ARF participants towards the establishment of an ARF Transnational Threat Information Sharing Center (ATTIC). The center will focus on countering drug-related transnational crime to support our shared goal of achieving a drug-free ASEAN.
The ASEAN Regional Forum Inter-Sessional Meeting (ISM) on Counterterrorism and Transnational Crime recognized the importance of combating wildlife crimes during its March 2013 meeting in Hanoi. The group received a presentation by the United States on wildlife trafficking as a transnational crime.
Disaster Relief
Major natural disasters strike in the Asia-Pacific region on a regular basis. Through continued, dedicated efforts, ARF participants have made considerable progress in the area of disaster relief. In the past several years, ARF has conducted two major multinational exercises focusing on civilian-led, military-supported disaster relief efforts.
The United States has participated in three ARF Disaster Relief Exercises (DiREx), including the recent exercise co-hosted by Thailand and the Republic of Korea in Petchaburi Province, Thailand in May. We promote these exercises as a regular component of the ARF agenda to strengthen regional cooperation and improve disaster response.
The U.S. supported an advisor in the ARF Unit who focused on developing disaster relief capacity within the organization.
The United States committed to support the ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance (AHA) Coordination Center by providing personnel and training to the center’s personnel.
The United States committed to co-lead with Malaysia the third of three priority areas in the ARF Disaster Relief Work Plan that promotes interoperability and coordination in disaster relief operations.
The United States proposed a Climate Change Adaptation Workshop with the objective of capturing and building on shared experiences, best practices, and lessons learned in preparing for climate change.
Maritime Security
With over forty percent of the world’s seaborne trade flowing through Asia and the Pacific, maintaining open sea lines of communication and ensuring freedom of navigation are critical for the security and stability of the Asia-Pacific region. Accordingly, the United States, as a Pacific nation, continues to prioritize maritime security engagement within the ARF framework.
The United States co-chaired the ISM on Maritime Security with the Republic of Korea and Indonesia on April 18-19, 2013 in Seoul. The agenda focused on building confidence amongst nations and sharing best practices for cooperation in civil maritime law enforcement, international port and ship security, and marine environmental protection. The United States will continue to encourage greater multilateral cooperation through increased transparency and confidence building as it continues its co-chairmanship of the Maritime Security ISM through next year.
The United States has proposed a marine environmental protection workshop that will promote positive maritime cooperation in the region, with the objective of developing a framework for multilateral responses to major marine pollution incidents. The United States will work with Japan, China, and an ASEAN country to develop this workshop. The United States is also working with China to co-chair an oil spill workshop focused on the exchange of technologies and techniques for responding to a marine oil spill in the region.
The United States continues to work within ARF to reinforce maritime laws and norms through annual meetings on maritime security and seminars on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Nonproliferation and Disarmament
The ARF is the premier regional venue for multilateral cooperation on nonproliferation and disarmament issues in the region through tangible capacity building programs and open discussions to coordinate efforts and build common understanding.
The United States partnered with China and others to institutionalize the discussion on nonproliferation and disarmament issues in the ARF and to develop a work plan that promotes balance to the three central pillars of the global nonproliferation regime: preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, promoting the peaceful use of nuclear technology, and advancing global disarmament efforts.
This year, the United States, Thailand, and the European Union will host a technical workshop on nuclear forensics.
The United States has committed to co-chair with New Zealand a workshop on Radiological Terrorism to build awareness and promote information sharing among ARF countries in responding to a terrorist incident involving radiological material.
Space Security
Capitalizing on the first ARF Space Security workshop, the United States and Japan are seeking support for a workshop next year that further explores the benefits of space assets for ASEAN states, addresses issues currently facing the space environment, and assesses approaches to ensure the benefits of space for future generations.
U.S. Engagement in the 2013 ASEAN Regional Forum
Fact Sheet
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
July 2, 2013
On July 2, Secretary of State John Kerry led the United States’ delegation to the 20th Meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. ARF is the region’s main forum for promoting security. ARF holds on average twenty-five events annually across several key security areas: preventive diplomacy, counter-terrorism and transnational crime, disaster relief, maritime security, and nonproliferation and disarmament. The United States is actively engaged in all of these events and is committed to working through the ARF process to enhance peace, security, and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.
Preventive Diplomacy
ASEAN established ARF as part of an effort to maintain peace and stability in the region and to promote regional development and prosperity. ARF is expanding its solutions-oriented programming to include robust confidence building measures and preventative diplomacy activities, such as election monitoring.
The United States continues to provide an annual submission to the ARF Security Outlook that provides a comprehensive outline of U.S. regional security policies and capabilities in the region, to encourage full transparency in military resources and strategy among ARF members.
In May, the United States and Malaysia co-chaired the ARF Experts and Eminent Persons Group (EEP) in Honolulu, Hawaii. The EEP are a non-governmental group that provides recommendations on topics such as preventive diplomacy, regional architecture, and the future direction of ARF. This year’s meeting provided twelve specific recommendations on topics ranging from the role of the EEP in ARF to the development of ARF into a preventive diplomacy body.
Counter-terrorism and Transnational Crime
ARF addresses four core areas within its work on counterterrorism and transnational crime: illicit drugs; cyber security; counter-radicalization; and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) issues. ARF is making efforts to improve collaboration among regional governments to address these issues:
The United States is seeking partnership with an ASEAN country to conduct the first in a series of cyber workshops focused on developing confidence building measures for the region. As national security interests are increasingly tied to cyberspace, the development of confidence building measures that facilitate increased transparency, greater cooperation and improved capacity within the region is essential to reducing the risk of future conflict.
Since 2009, the U.S. has partnered with the Philippines and Australia to hold yearly ARF workshops raising awareness of biosecurity threats and other issues and sharing practical experiences. This series of workshops led to the development of a document of best practices for bio-risk management for ministerial approval. The ARF Cross-Sectoral Security Cooperation on Bio-Preparedness and Disaster Response project, also for ministerial approval, is a follow-on series of workshops and activities designed to implement these best practices with the objective of enhancing regional capacity for preparedness and collective response to a biological event.
The U.S. and Thailand continue to work with ARF participants towards the establishment of an ARF Transnational Threat Information Sharing Center (ATTIC). The center will focus on countering drug-related transnational crime to support our shared goal of achieving a drug-free ASEAN.
The ASEAN Regional Forum Inter-Sessional Meeting (ISM) on Counterterrorism and Transnational Crime recognized the importance of combating wildlife crimes during its March 2013 meeting in Hanoi. The group received a presentation by the United States on wildlife trafficking as a transnational crime.
Disaster Relief
Major natural disasters strike in the Asia-Pacific region on a regular basis. Through continued, dedicated efforts, ARF participants have made considerable progress in the area of disaster relief. In the past several years, ARF has conducted two major multinational exercises focusing on civilian-led, military-supported disaster relief efforts.
The U.S. supported an advisor in the ARF Unit who focused on developing disaster relief capacity within the organization.
The United States committed to support the ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance (AHA) Coordination Center by providing personnel and training to the center’s personnel.
The United States committed to co-lead with Malaysia the third of three priority areas in the ARF Disaster Relief Work Plan that promotes interoperability and coordination in disaster relief operations.
The United States proposed a Climate Change Adaptation Workshop with the objective of capturing and building on shared experiences, best practices, and lessons learned in preparing for climate change.
Maritime Security
With over forty percent of the world’s seaborne trade flowing through Asia and the Pacific, maintaining open sea lines of communication and ensuring freedom of navigation are critical for the security and stability of the Asia-Pacific region. Accordingly, the United States, as a Pacific nation, continues to prioritize maritime security engagement within the ARF framework.
The United States has proposed a marine environmental protection workshop that will promote positive maritime cooperation in the region, with the objective of developing a framework for multilateral responses to major marine pollution incidents. The United States will work with Japan, China, and an ASEAN country to develop this workshop. The United States is also working with China to co-chair an oil spill workshop focused on the exchange of technologies and techniques for responding to a marine oil spill in the region.
The United States continues to work within ARF to reinforce maritime laws and norms through annual meetings on maritime security and seminars on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Nonproliferation and Disarmament
The ARF is the premier regional venue for multilateral cooperation on nonproliferation and disarmament issues in the region through tangible capacity building programs and open discussions to coordinate efforts and build common understanding.
This year, the United States, Thailand, and the European Union will host a technical workshop on nuclear forensics.
The United States has committed to co-chair with New Zealand a workshop on Radiological Terrorism to build awareness and promote information sharing among ARF countries in responding to a terrorist incident involving radiological material.
Space Security
Capitalizing on the first ARF Space Security workshop, the United States and Japan are seeking support for a workshop next year that further explores the benefits of space assets for ASEAN states, addresses issues currently facing the space environment, and assesses approaches to ensure the benefits of space for future generations.
PRESIDENT OBAMA CONGRATULATES PRIME MINISTER RUDD ON HIS RETURN TO POWER
FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE
Readout of President Obama’s Call with Australian Prime Minister Rudd and former Prime Minister Gillard
Earlier today from Air Force One, the President called Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and former Prime Minister Julia Gillard of Australia. In his call with Prime Minister Rudd, the President congratulated the Prime Minister on his return to office. The President also reiterated the enduring strength of the U.S.-Australia alliance and his confidence that the United States and Australia will continue to work together closely on important global and regional issues. The two leaders also discussed the importance of completing the high standard Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. In his call with former Prime Minister Gillard, President Obama thanked her for her warm friendship and close partnership in deepening cooperation between the United States and Australia, and he wished her well in her future endeavors.
Readout of President Obama’s Call with Australian Prime Minister Rudd and former Prime Minister Gillard
Earlier today from Air Force One, the President called Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and former Prime Minister Julia Gillard of Australia. In his call with Prime Minister Rudd, the President congratulated the Prime Minister on his return to office. The President also reiterated the enduring strength of the U.S.-Australia alliance and his confidence that the United States and Australia will continue to work together closely on important global and regional issues. The two leaders also discussed the importance of completing the high standard Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. In his call with former Prime Minister Gillard, President Obama thanked her for her warm friendship and close partnership in deepening cooperation between the United States and Australia, and he wished her well in her future endeavors.
SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY MAKES REMARKS IN BRUNEI
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT,
Remarks With Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, and Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se Before Their Meeting
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
July 1, 2013
SECRETARY KERRY: Minister Kishida, thank you for hosting us. And Minister Yun, thank you very much. I want to thank you both for our meetings in your respective countries, and I want to congratulate Minister Yun on his visit with his President – President Park’s visit to China. It was a very good visit, important for all of us.
The three of us, our countries, are working very, very hard together on a number of critical issues, and we want to say thank you to you for the quality of the cooperation, which is important not just to our countries, but it’s important to the region. The cooperative effort between the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, has made a difference, not only with respect to the North Korean provocations, but it has sent a strong signal about the strength of our alliance, and I think it’s sent a strong signal about other interests that we have, particularly maritime security, issues with respect to regional security, and that’s what we’re here to affirm today. We join you in making it absolutely clear that the policy of the United States, together with the Republic of Korea and Japan, is the denuclearization of the – North Korea.
I just had a bilateral meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister, with Wang Yi, and we both reaffirmed strongly the seriousness with which we are both committed, we are all committed, with China, to the policy of denuclearization. So now we have to make sure we translate commitment to the policy into the reality of achieving policy through the denuclearization itself. And we will continue that discussion in a few days in Washington in a strategic and economic dialogue with China, and we look forward to working with you to accomplish this goal.
So let me just say thank you for the strength of this relationship. This relationship, the three of us here, is really the foundation of the strategic relationship of this region, and it has proven its durability, it’s proven its value, and today we look forward to further discussions about how we go in the next steps in terms of our cooperative efforts. So thank you very much, Mr. Minister.
Remarks With Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, and Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se Before Their Meeting
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
July 1, 2013
SECRETARY KERRY: Minister Kishida, thank you for hosting us. And Minister Yun, thank you very much. I want to thank you both for our meetings in your respective countries, and I want to congratulate Minister Yun on his visit with his President – President Park’s visit to China. It was a very good visit, important for all of us.
The three of us, our countries, are working very, very hard together on a number of critical issues, and we want to say thank you to you for the quality of the cooperation, which is important not just to our countries, but it’s important to the region. The cooperative effort between the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, has made a difference, not only with respect to the North Korean provocations, but it has sent a strong signal about the strength of our alliance, and I think it’s sent a strong signal about other interests that we have, particularly maritime security, issues with respect to regional security, and that’s what we’re here to affirm today. We join you in making it absolutely clear that the policy of the United States, together with the Republic of Korea and Japan, is the denuclearization of the – North Korea.
I just had a bilateral meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister, with Wang Yi, and we both reaffirmed strongly the seriousness with which we are both committed, we are all committed, with China, to the policy of denuclearization. So now we have to make sure we translate commitment to the policy into the reality of achieving policy through the denuclearization itself. And we will continue that discussion in a few days in Washington in a strategic and economic dialogue with China, and we look forward to working with you to accomplish this goal.
So let me just say thank you for the strength of this relationship. This relationship, the three of us here, is really the foundation of the strategic relationship of this region, and it has proven its durability, it’s proven its value, and today we look forward to further discussions about how we go in the next steps in terms of our cooperative efforts. So thank you very much, Mr. Minister.
GEN. NAPPER SPEAKS ABOUT CYBER INTEROPERABILITY
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Old Policies Inhibit Cyber Interoperability, Official Says
By Amaani Lyle
American Forces Press Service
BALTIMORE, June 27, 2013 - Policies that inhibit interoperability in the cyber domain with coalition partners and other agencies are worthy of re-examination, a senior U.S. Cyber Command official said at the 2013 Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association cyber symposium here yesterday.
Army Maj. Gen. Jennifer L. Napper, Cybercom's director of plans and policy, said reassessing the purpose of information sharing comes down to setting basic standards for connectivity and operability.
Napper said the initial policies came to be during a time that predated modern technology, which now more astutely determines that only people on a "need-to-know" basis can access certain information. "We're beyond that," said the general told the audience. "We can do role-based identity management today. We can tag data. We can make sure we can share."
The task at hand now, Napper said, is transitioning from legacy systems into a more open data environment that allows officials to tag data so access it is based on identity management. Getting consensus on standards and then setting and sticking to those standards will facilitate information sharing with international partners in various capacities, initiatives and operations, she added.
As cyberspace plays a more prominent role in partnerships, particularly with Russia and China, cooperation among the U.S. government, industry and other nations will become increasingly vital. "This, more than any other area, must be a team sport," Napper said.
Old Policies Inhibit Cyber Interoperability, Official Says
By Amaani Lyle
American Forces Press Service
BALTIMORE, June 27, 2013 - Policies that inhibit interoperability in the cyber domain with coalition partners and other agencies are worthy of re-examination, a senior U.S. Cyber Command official said at the 2013 Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association cyber symposium here yesterday.
Army Maj. Gen. Jennifer L. Napper, Cybercom's director of plans and policy, said reassessing the purpose of information sharing comes down to setting basic standards for connectivity and operability.
Napper said the initial policies came to be during a time that predated modern technology, which now more astutely determines that only people on a "need-to-know" basis can access certain information. "We're beyond that," said the general told the audience. "We can do role-based identity management today. We can tag data. We can make sure we can share."
The task at hand now, Napper said, is transitioning from legacy systems into a more open data environment that allows officials to tag data so access it is based on identity management. Getting consensus on standards and then setting and sticking to those standards will facilitate information sharing with international partners in various capacities, initiatives and operations, she added.
As cyberspace plays a more prominent role in partnerships, particularly with Russia and China, cooperation among the U.S. government, industry and other nations will become increasingly vital. "This, more than any other area, must be a team sport," Napper said.
Monday, July 1, 2013
U.S. CONGRAULATES PEOPLE OF BURUNDI ON THEIR NATIONAL DAY
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Burundi National Day
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
July 1, 2013
On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to send best wishes to the people of Burundi on the 51st anniversary of your independence on July 1.
The United States and Burundi share a strong history of friendship and cooperation. The United States continues to support the efforts of the government and people of Burundi to promote economic growth and development, and to achieve greater stability in the Great Lakes Region.
As you gather with family and friends on your national day, the United States wishes you a joyous celebration.
Burundi National Day
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
July 1, 2013
On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to send best wishes to the people of Burundi on the 51st anniversary of your independence on July 1.
The United States and Burundi share a strong history of friendship and cooperation. The United States continues to support the efforts of the government and people of Burundi to promote economic growth and development, and to achieve greater stability in the Great Lakes Region.
As you gather with family and friends on your national day, the United States wishes you a joyous celebration.
U.S. CONGRATULATES CROATIA'S ACCESSION INTO THE EUROPEAN UNION
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Croatia's Accession to the European Union
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
June 30, 2013
On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to send best wishes to the people of the Republic of Croatia as you celebrate entry into the European Union. Today is an occasion to honor Croatia and the many achievements of its citizens.
Croatia has worked diligently for over a decade and over many administrations towards the goal of European Union membership. I know it was not always an easy path. I commend Croatia’s perseverance and the courage of your leaders and citizens as Croatia has rebuilt its economy and government structures to meet European Union standards.
As you celebrate this special day, the United States looks forward to strengthening the ties between our peoples as we build together a future of peace and progress.
Croatia's Accession to the European Union
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
June 30, 2013
On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to send best wishes to the people of the Republic of Croatia as you celebrate entry into the European Union. Today is an occasion to honor Croatia and the many achievements of its citizens.
Croatia has worked diligently for over a decade and over many administrations towards the goal of European Union membership. I know it was not always an easy path. I commend Croatia’s perseverance and the courage of your leaders and citizens as Croatia has rebuilt its economy and government structures to meet European Union standards.
As you celebrate this special day, the United States looks forward to strengthening the ties between our peoples as we build together a future of peace and progress.
SECRETARY OF EDUCATION DUNCAN MAKE'S STATEMENT ON SENATE PASSAGE OF IMMIGRATION REFORM
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Statement by Secretary Duncan on Senate Passage of Immigration Reform
June 28, 2013
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan issued the following statement today in reaction to the Senate's vote on immigration reform yesterday:
"Since our early days as a nation, immigration has helped spur innovation and strengthen our economy. It will continue to do so in the 21st century. The vote in the Senate is a great step toward reforming the nation's broken immigration system and providing a pathway for DREAMers and their families. It is encouraging to see our country's political leadership set aside partisanship and come together to do what's in the best interest of the country.
"If we are going to meet President Obama's goal of leading the world in college graduates by 2020, we must support the education and growth of every student. We must also ensure that America remains a beacon for the most promising minds, by making it easier for foreign graduate students in science and math to stay in this country, rather than taking their skills elsewhere. Our country's best and brightest include students and families of every culture and creed, who deserve a fair shot at success whether they were born in the United States or chosen it as their home."
Statement by Secretary Duncan on Senate Passage of Immigration Reform
June 28, 2013
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan issued the following statement today in reaction to the Senate's vote on immigration reform yesterday:
"Since our early days as a nation, immigration has helped spur innovation and strengthen our economy. It will continue to do so in the 21st century. The vote in the Senate is a great step toward reforming the nation's broken immigration system and providing a pathway for DREAMers and their families. It is encouraging to see our country's political leadership set aside partisanship and come together to do what's in the best interest of the country.
"If we are going to meet President Obama's goal of leading the world in college graduates by 2020, we must support the education and growth of every student. We must also ensure that America remains a beacon for the most promising minds, by making it easier for foreign graduate students in science and math to stay in this country, rather than taking their skills elsewhere. Our country's best and brightest include students and families of every culture and creed, who deserve a fair shot at success whether they were born in the United States or chosen it as their home."
REMARKS BY SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY, MYANMAR FOREIGN MINISTER LWIN
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Remarks at the U.S.-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Myanmar Foreign Minister U Wunna Maung Lwin
Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
July 1, 2013
FOREIGN MINISTER WUNNA MAUNG LWIN: Your Royal Highness, Mr. Co-chair, excellencies, a very good morning. With the permission of Mr. Co-chair, I wish to announce that the ASEAN-U.S. Ministerial Meeting commenced. At the outset, I wish to exchange on behalf of my ASEAN colleagues, our warmest welcome to Secretary of State John Kerry– (audio break) – ASEAN post-ministerial meeting in Bandar Seri Begawan.
To my ASEAN colleagues who are with us this morning to share the views on how to accelerate the ASEAN-U.S. dialogue relations and cooperation. Our appreciation also goes to the officials and technicians from the secretariat for their support and cooperation.
Mr. Co-chair, the first agenda of our meeting is opening remarks by the co-chairs of the ASEAN-U.S. Ministerial Meeting. Let me start with my opening remarks.
Your Royal Highness, your Excellency John Kerry, excellencies, distinguished delegates, as country coordinator of the ASEAN-U.S. dialogue relations, it is an honor and privilege for me to deliver my opening remarks at this important PMC meeting this morning. We warmly welcome Secretary of State John Kerry, and we look forward to closely working with you for the advancement of ASEAN-U.S. relations from now on.
I also wish to express our appreciation to the Republic of the Philippines for its effective coordinatorship role from 2009 to 2012. It was accelerated and promoted our dialogue relations with the United States.
Mr. Co-chair, I wish to express our deep sorrow and sympathy to the family members of the victims of the April 15th terrorist bombings in Boston, and those who lost their lives and properties in the tornadoes that struck Oklahoma City recently. We wish to reiterate that ASEAN condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
We task great importance to the ASEAN-U.S. dialogue relations. We also wish to enhance ties, deepen economic and culture cooperation, and elevate the existing relationship to a higher level. We all are willing to listen your views on how to advance ASEAN-U.S. relations. We wish to take this opportunity to express deep appreciation and gratitude to former Secretary of State Mrs. Hillary Clinton for her role in promoting the ASEAN-U.S. relationship. We also commend the Ambassador of the United States to ASEAN in fulfilling his duties in promoting ASEAN-U.S. relations.
Mr. Co-chair, I share the views with my ASEAN colleagues on issues of common interest, which need our due attention. Those are cyber security, disaster management, food and energy security, education, economic and trade cooperation, counterterrorism, trafficking in persons, maritime security, and connectivity. We look forward to advancing our views on those issues on how to accelerate our cooperation.
Mr. Co-chair, on a personal note, we highly value and appreciate the U.S. renewed engagement with Myanmar Government. The visit of President U Thein Sein to the United States in May this year was a historic moment in our bilateral relations, and during the visit the President reiterated Myanmar’s commitment to unwavering continued its reform process. We firmly believe that the development of relationship between Myanmar and U.S. will strengthen bilateral relations and thus contribute to the advancement of the ASEAN-U.S. relations. We would look forward to have a constructive and active discussion during the meeting. Thank you for your kind attention.
May I now invite Secretary of State John Kerry to deliver his opening remarks? The floor is yours, Excellency.
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, thank you very much, Mr. Minister, and thank you to all of the ministers here. It’s a great pleasure for me to be here at my first ASEAN-U.S. ministerial, but I’m happy to say I’ve been out in this region over many years as a United States Senator and even before that, so it’s a great pleasure for me to be back here and be with some friends. And I’ve gotten to meet with a number of you in these early days, and I thank all of you for your welcome and for your cooperation.
I want to thank our host, Brunei, for welcoming us for the ASEAN Regional Forum and for so many important meetings that are going to take place here over the course of the next days. I know President Obama is very much looking forward to his visit here in October for the East Asia summit. I also want to thank Myanmar for co-chairing this meeting today with us, and we thank you for all of the work that you have done as our ASEAN country coordinator, and I also thank you, Mr. Minister, for your generous thoughts about Boston and about Oklahoma. We appreciate that very much, and I appreciate your strong statement about terrorism, which I think all of us here are very grateful for and sympathetic with.
I might add, Myanmar is a country that is setting a great positive trend and undergoing a dramatic political and economic transition, and I want to recognize that. Today, President Thein Sein works with a resurgent parliament that includes former military officers working alongside Aung San Suu Kyi, and that is really an incredible testament to the possibilities of what happens with leadership and with values and the possibility of progress. And the United States strongly supports Myanmar’s journey toward democracy, which is really something that might have even been unthinkable just a few years ago. These positive changes all illustrate the dynamism and the huge potential of this region, which is why this meeting is important.
I think we all agree that a significant part of the history of the 21st century will be written right here in Asia, and much of that history will be driven by what happens in Southeast Asia. This is why the United States believes that our relationship with ASEAN is of the highest importance. And today, I want to talk about three areas of concern in U.S.-ASEAN cooperation: economic opportunity, political security concerns, and people to people ties.
First, the United States supports ASEAN’s economic integration goals and we are strongly encouraging you as you pursue them. We recognize the tremendous economic dynamism of your region and of your people, and as is true everywhere, we are only going to be able to capture the energy of Southeast Asia in its massive and growing and overwhelmingly young population if we answer their aspirations. We have to speak to the young people by providing opportunity for them.
By the end of this decade roughly half of Southeast Asia’s 600 million people will be defined as middle class. That’s a population that is as large as the entire United States. So helping these people to achieve the middle class dream and to stay there is both of our challenge and it’s both of our responsibility. I might add, it’s also our opportunity. We support ASEAN’s goals in creating dynamic, open economies and establishing integrated ASEAN economic community by the end of 2015. And we will invest significantly in technical assistance to support these goals.
The second area I want to discuss is our political security engagement with ASEAN. Let me be crystal clear: I know that some people have wondered whether in the second term of the Obama Administration and with a new Secretary of State, are we going to continue on the path that we have been on? And the answer, I say to all of you directly, is yes. Not just yes, but we hope to increase the effort. So we are committed to ensuring a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Southeast Asia, and that’s why we’re working together on a whole range of both traditional and nontraditional security issues from wildlife trafficking to human trafficking – trafficking in persons – to nonproliferation, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief, and so much more.
In particular, we are focused on two issues of particular concern: maritime security and cyber security. Maritime security is a concern because your region is home to the world’s busiest ports and most critical sea lanes. And what happens here matters to the United States, but it also matters to everybody else. It matters to the global community.
And with regard to the South China Sea, I will say this: As a Pacific nation, and the resident power, the United States has a national interest in the maintenance of peace and stability, respect for international law, unimpeded lawful commerce, and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. As we have said many times before, while we do not take a position on a competing territorial claim over land features, we have a strong interest in the manner in which the disputes of the South China Sea are addressed and in the conduct of the parties. We very much hope to see progress soon on a substantive code of conduct in order to help ensure stability in this vital region.
The United States is also working and looks forward to working further with ASEAN to improve cyber security and to combat cyber crime. We’re very eager to help ASEAN member states build capacity here in order to make sure that all of us are protected against cyber threats and in order to reduce the risks that these cyber threats carry.
Finally, I want to discuss a third priority and that’s the United States commitment to depending and deepening – depending on and deepening our people to people ties with ASEAN nations. These connections are really the foundation of our long term relationship, and that’s why we have continually increased our engagement with ASEAN on environment, health, cultural, and educational matters, including exchange between academies, between scientists, between artists, and youth.
The $25 million Brunei-U.S. partnership on English language education for ASEAN we think will help build regional integration and facilitate collaboration and understanding between all of us, both within and outside of ASEAN. The pilot Fulbright U.S.-ASEAN initiative is off to a very successful start. And we have increased our science and technology engagement with ASEAN through programs such as the INSPIRE initiative, which stands for U.S.-ASEAN Innovation in Science through Partners in Regional Engagement.
So today, tomorrow, into the future, I look forward to discussing ways to increase these people to people ties and to addressing our mutual economic and political security interests. And I am just by assuring you again of one thing – for any country that questions whether the United States will sustain our greater engagement in the Asia Pacific, I want to put those concerns to rest completely today. As I said in Tokyo in my visit in April, President Obama has made a smart and a strategic commitment to rebalance our interests and our investments in Asia. We have many goals, many goals – we have economic and security interests – but I want to emphasize importantly, our actions are not intended to contain or to counterbalance any one country. My commitment to you and President Obama’s commitment to you is that as a Pacific nation, we take our Pacific responsibilities and partnership seriously. And we will continue to build an active and an enduring presence in every respect.
And one of the most important ways that we will do that is in our partnership with all of you through ASEAN. So thank you very much, my co-chair, I appreciate the opportunity to share a few thoughts with you, and I look forward to our dialogue.
FOREIGN MINISTER WUNNA MAUNG LWIN: Thank you, Excellency, for your kind words addressed to me, and to my government and my country. I also wish to express our appreciation to you for your wisdom and innovative initiatives to facilitate the ASEAN-U.S. dialogue relations. We also encouraged that the U.S. Administration has reiterated its commitments to advance the relations between the ASEAN member states and the United States in the bilateral and regional context.
May I now request the media personnel to kindly leave the room, as we are about to commence the closed session. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Remarks at the U.S.-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Myanmar Foreign Minister U Wunna Maung Lwin
Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
July 1, 2013
FOREIGN MINISTER WUNNA MAUNG LWIN: Your Royal Highness, Mr. Co-chair, excellencies, a very good morning. With the permission of Mr. Co-chair, I wish to announce that the ASEAN-U.S. Ministerial Meeting commenced. At the outset, I wish to exchange on behalf of my ASEAN colleagues, our warmest welcome to Secretary of State John Kerry– (audio break) – ASEAN post-ministerial meeting in Bandar Seri Begawan.
To my ASEAN colleagues who are with us this morning to share the views on how to accelerate the ASEAN-U.S. dialogue relations and cooperation. Our appreciation also goes to the officials and technicians from the secretariat for their support and cooperation.
Mr. Co-chair, the first agenda of our meeting is opening remarks by the co-chairs of the ASEAN-U.S. Ministerial Meeting. Let me start with my opening remarks.
Your Royal Highness, your Excellency John Kerry, excellencies, distinguished delegates, as country coordinator of the ASEAN-U.S. dialogue relations, it is an honor and privilege for me to deliver my opening remarks at this important PMC meeting this morning. We warmly welcome Secretary of State John Kerry, and we look forward to closely working with you for the advancement of ASEAN-U.S. relations from now on.
I also wish to express our appreciation to the Republic of the Philippines for its effective coordinatorship role from 2009 to 2012. It was accelerated and promoted our dialogue relations with the United States.
Mr. Co-chair, I wish to express our deep sorrow and sympathy to the family members of the victims of the April 15th terrorist bombings in Boston, and those who lost their lives and properties in the tornadoes that struck Oklahoma City recently. We wish to reiterate that ASEAN condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
We task great importance to the ASEAN-U.S. dialogue relations. We also wish to enhance ties, deepen economic and culture cooperation, and elevate the existing relationship to a higher level. We all are willing to listen your views on how to advance ASEAN-U.S. relations. We wish to take this opportunity to express deep appreciation and gratitude to former Secretary of State Mrs. Hillary Clinton for her role in promoting the ASEAN-U.S. relationship. We also commend the Ambassador of the United States to ASEAN in fulfilling his duties in promoting ASEAN-U.S. relations.
Mr. Co-chair, I share the views with my ASEAN colleagues on issues of common interest, which need our due attention. Those are cyber security, disaster management, food and energy security, education, economic and trade cooperation, counterterrorism, trafficking in persons, maritime security, and connectivity. We look forward to advancing our views on those issues on how to accelerate our cooperation.
Mr. Co-chair, on a personal note, we highly value and appreciate the U.S. renewed engagement with Myanmar Government. The visit of President U Thein Sein to the United States in May this year was a historic moment in our bilateral relations, and during the visit the President reiterated Myanmar’s commitment to unwavering continued its reform process. We firmly believe that the development of relationship between Myanmar and U.S. will strengthen bilateral relations and thus contribute to the advancement of the ASEAN-U.S. relations. We would look forward to have a constructive and active discussion during the meeting. Thank you for your kind attention.
May I now invite Secretary of State John Kerry to deliver his opening remarks? The floor is yours, Excellency.
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, thank you very much, Mr. Minister, and thank you to all of the ministers here. It’s a great pleasure for me to be here at my first ASEAN-U.S. ministerial, but I’m happy to say I’ve been out in this region over many years as a United States Senator and even before that, so it’s a great pleasure for me to be back here and be with some friends. And I’ve gotten to meet with a number of you in these early days, and I thank all of you for your welcome and for your cooperation.
I want to thank our host, Brunei, for welcoming us for the ASEAN Regional Forum and for so many important meetings that are going to take place here over the course of the next days. I know President Obama is very much looking forward to his visit here in October for the East Asia summit. I also want to thank Myanmar for co-chairing this meeting today with us, and we thank you for all of the work that you have done as our ASEAN country coordinator, and I also thank you, Mr. Minister, for your generous thoughts about Boston and about Oklahoma. We appreciate that very much, and I appreciate your strong statement about terrorism, which I think all of us here are very grateful for and sympathetic with.
I might add, Myanmar is a country that is setting a great positive trend and undergoing a dramatic political and economic transition, and I want to recognize that. Today, President Thein Sein works with a resurgent parliament that includes former military officers working alongside Aung San Suu Kyi, and that is really an incredible testament to the possibilities of what happens with leadership and with values and the possibility of progress. And the United States strongly supports Myanmar’s journey toward democracy, which is really something that might have even been unthinkable just a few years ago. These positive changes all illustrate the dynamism and the huge potential of this region, which is why this meeting is important.
I think we all agree that a significant part of the history of the 21st century will be written right here in Asia, and much of that history will be driven by what happens in Southeast Asia. This is why the United States believes that our relationship with ASEAN is of the highest importance. And today, I want to talk about three areas of concern in U.S.-ASEAN cooperation: economic opportunity, political security concerns, and people to people ties.
First, the United States supports ASEAN’s economic integration goals and we are strongly encouraging you as you pursue them. We recognize the tremendous economic dynamism of your region and of your people, and as is true everywhere, we are only going to be able to capture the energy of Southeast Asia in its massive and growing and overwhelmingly young population if we answer their aspirations. We have to speak to the young people by providing opportunity for them.
By the end of this decade roughly half of Southeast Asia’s 600 million people will be defined as middle class. That’s a population that is as large as the entire United States. So helping these people to achieve the middle class dream and to stay there is both of our challenge and it’s both of our responsibility. I might add, it’s also our opportunity. We support ASEAN’s goals in creating dynamic, open economies and establishing integrated ASEAN economic community by the end of 2015. And we will invest significantly in technical assistance to support these goals.
The second area I want to discuss is our political security engagement with ASEAN. Let me be crystal clear: I know that some people have wondered whether in the second term of the Obama Administration and with a new Secretary of State, are we going to continue on the path that we have been on? And the answer, I say to all of you directly, is yes. Not just yes, but we hope to increase the effort. So we are committed to ensuring a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Southeast Asia, and that’s why we’re working together on a whole range of both traditional and nontraditional security issues from wildlife trafficking to human trafficking – trafficking in persons – to nonproliferation, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief, and so much more.
In particular, we are focused on two issues of particular concern: maritime security and cyber security. Maritime security is a concern because your region is home to the world’s busiest ports and most critical sea lanes. And what happens here matters to the United States, but it also matters to everybody else. It matters to the global community.
And with regard to the South China Sea, I will say this: As a Pacific nation, and the resident power, the United States has a national interest in the maintenance of peace and stability, respect for international law, unimpeded lawful commerce, and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. As we have said many times before, while we do not take a position on a competing territorial claim over land features, we have a strong interest in the manner in which the disputes of the South China Sea are addressed and in the conduct of the parties. We very much hope to see progress soon on a substantive code of conduct in order to help ensure stability in this vital region.
The United States is also working and looks forward to working further with ASEAN to improve cyber security and to combat cyber crime. We’re very eager to help ASEAN member states build capacity here in order to make sure that all of us are protected against cyber threats and in order to reduce the risks that these cyber threats carry.
Finally, I want to discuss a third priority and that’s the United States commitment to depending and deepening – depending on and deepening our people to people ties with ASEAN nations. These connections are really the foundation of our long term relationship, and that’s why we have continually increased our engagement with ASEAN on environment, health, cultural, and educational matters, including exchange between academies, between scientists, between artists, and youth.
The $25 million Brunei-U.S. partnership on English language education for ASEAN we think will help build regional integration and facilitate collaboration and understanding between all of us, both within and outside of ASEAN. The pilot Fulbright U.S.-ASEAN initiative is off to a very successful start. And we have increased our science and technology engagement with ASEAN through programs such as the INSPIRE initiative, which stands for U.S.-ASEAN Innovation in Science through Partners in Regional Engagement.
So today, tomorrow, into the future, I look forward to discussing ways to increase these people to people ties and to addressing our mutual economic and political security interests. And I am just by assuring you again of one thing – for any country that questions whether the United States will sustain our greater engagement in the Asia Pacific, I want to put those concerns to rest completely today. As I said in Tokyo in my visit in April, President Obama has made a smart and a strategic commitment to rebalance our interests and our investments in Asia. We have many goals, many goals – we have economic and security interests – but I want to emphasize importantly, our actions are not intended to contain or to counterbalance any one country. My commitment to you and President Obama’s commitment to you is that as a Pacific nation, we take our Pacific responsibilities and partnership seriously. And we will continue to build an active and an enduring presence in every respect.
And one of the most important ways that we will do that is in our partnership with all of you through ASEAN. So thank you very much, my co-chair, I appreciate the opportunity to share a few thoughts with you, and I look forward to our dialogue.
FOREIGN MINISTER WUNNA MAUNG LWIN: Thank you, Excellency, for your kind words addressed to me, and to my government and my country. I also wish to express our appreciation to you for your wisdom and innovative initiatives to facilitate the ASEAN-U.S. dialogue relations. We also encouraged that the U.S. Administration has reiterated its commitments to advance the relations between the ASEAN member states and the United States in the bilateral and regional context.
May I now request the media personnel to kindly leave the room, as we are about to commence the closed session. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
U.S. CONGRATULATES PEOPLE OF RWANDA ON THEIR NATIONAL DAY
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Rwandan National Day
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
July 1, 2013
On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to send best wishes to the people of Rwanda on the 51st anniversary of your independence this July 1.
Since the end of the 1994 genocide, Rwandans have proven that healing, recovery and prosperity are possible through, faith, remembrance, and the unwavering commitment to a brighter future. Today, we recognize these achievements and express our hope for peace, stability, and reconciliation in the region.
Congratulations on this special day, and best wishes for a year filled with peace and prosperity.
Rwandan National Day
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
July 1, 2013
On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to send best wishes to the people of Rwanda on the 51st anniversary of your independence this July 1.
Since the end of the 1994 genocide, Rwandans have proven that healing, recovery and prosperity are possible through, faith, remembrance, and the unwavering commitment to a brighter future. Today, we recognize these achievements and express our hope for peace, stability, and reconciliation in the region.
Congratulations on this special day, and best wishes for a year filled with peace and prosperity.
U.S. CONDEMNS KURDISH DEMOCRATIC PARTY'S DEADLY RESPONSE TO DEMONSTRATIONS
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Situation in Amuda, Syria
Press Statement
Patrick Ventrell
Director, Office of Press Relations
Washington, DC
July 1, 2013
The United States condemns the Kurdish Democratic Party’s (PYD) deadly response to peaceful demonstrations in the city of Amuda, where PYD authorities have killed six people, wounded dozens, and detained 90 activists during several days of clashes.
There is no justification for these attacks or the PYD’s attempts to repress freedoms of expression and assembly by silencing those who peacefully advocate for democracy and human rights. We are appalled by reports of the PYD torturing detainees and demand that it immediately and unconditionally release all detained activists.
The PYD must abandon its brutal tactics and respect the human rights and dignity of all Syrians. This violent suppression only serves the regime’s efforts to escalate tensions and divide the Syrian people.
Situation in Amuda, Syria
Press Statement
Patrick Ventrell
Director, Office of Press Relations
Washington, DC
July 1, 2013
The United States condemns the Kurdish Democratic Party’s (PYD) deadly response to peaceful demonstrations in the city of Amuda, where PYD authorities have killed six people, wounded dozens, and detained 90 activists during several days of clashes.
There is no justification for these attacks or the PYD’s attempts to repress freedoms of expression and assembly by silencing those who peacefully advocate for democracy and human rights. We are appalled by reports of the PYD torturing detainees and demand that it immediately and unconditionally release all detained activists.
The PYD must abandon its brutal tactics and respect the human rights and dignity of all Syrians. This violent suppression only serves the regime’s efforts to escalate tensions and divide the Syrian people.
DEFENSE SECRETARY HAGEL ON SEXUAL ASSAULT AND THE INSTITUTIION
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Sexual Assault Solutions Include Everyone, Hagel Says
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, June 28, 2013 - Sexual assault issues are corrected within the fabric of an institution, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told troops today, "and you're the fabric. And I know you feel the same way."
Hagel visited several military installations in Colorado this week. He said in a response to a soldier's question at a Fort Carson town hall meeting that sexual assault is a scourge on the Defense Department.
Sexual assault is a crime, he said, and U.S. service members have to stop it within their institutions.
"We don't break the law, but we certainly don't assault our own people," Hagel said. "There's no excuse for this. Our standards are higher than that."
Prioritizing sexual assault as an issue, focusing on prevention, establishing accountability and administering effective training is all part of the solution, Hagel said.
"Every one of you -- me, top, bottom, bottom-up -- has the responsibility here," he said. "It isn't going to get fixed just by directive or a training session or a new law being passed. It gets fixed within the fabric of the institution."
Sexual Assault Solutions Include Everyone, Hagel Says
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, June 28, 2013 - Sexual assault issues are corrected within the fabric of an institution, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told troops today, "and you're the fabric. And I know you feel the same way."
Hagel visited several military installations in Colorado this week. He said in a response to a soldier's question at a Fort Carson town hall meeting that sexual assault is a scourge on the Defense Department.
Sexual assault is a crime, he said, and U.S. service members have to stop it within their institutions.
"We don't break the law, but we certainly don't assault our own people," Hagel said. "There's no excuse for this. Our standards are higher than that."
Prioritizing sexual assault as an issue, focusing on prevention, establishing accountability and administering effective training is all part of the solution, Hagel said.
"Every one of you -- me, top, bottom, bottom-up -- has the responsibility here," he said. "It isn't going to get fixed just by directive or a training session or a new law being passed. It gets fixed within the fabric of the institution."
"LEAKS DAMAGE NATIONAL SECURITY", SO SAYS NSA DIRECTOR
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Leaks Damage National Security, NSA Director Says
By Claudette Roulo
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, June 28, 2013 - Recent media leaks have caused "significant and irreversible damage" to U.S. security, the director of the National Security Agency said yesterday in Baltimore.
Public discussion of NSA's tradecraft or the tools that support its operations provides insights that the nation's adversaries can and do use, Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander told an audience at the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association International Cyber Symposium.
"Those who wish us harm now know how we counter their actions," Alexander said. "These leaks have caused significant and irreversible damage to our nation's security.
"The damage is real," he continued. "I believe the irresponsible release of classified information about these programs will have a long-term detrimental impact on the intelligence community's ability to detect future attacks. These leaks have inflamed and sensationalized for ignoble purposes the work that the intelligence community does lawfully under strict oversight and compliance."
Explaining the programs exposed by the leaks, the general said the 9/11 Commission found that the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States succeeded because "the intelligence community could not connect the dots, foreign and domestic."
To address that failing, Alexander said, the intelligence community set up and Congress authorized two programs. The first, Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act of 2001, allows the government to collect telephone metadata for foreign intelligence and international terrorism investigations. The second, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, allows the targeting, for foreign intelligence purposes, of communications of foreign persons who are located abroad.
Each program is subject to strict oversight procedures by all three branches of the government, Alexander said.
"We understand and support the need to ensure we protect both civil liberties and national security. It's not one or the other. It must be both," he said. "That's why we take oversight of these programs very seriously."
According to a June 2012 report issued by the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, the general said, the committee did not find any cases of a government official willfully circumventing or violating the law while using the access granted under these authorities.
Under Section 215, telephone metadata is collected from service providers and placed into a "virtual lockbox," the general explained. "The only way NSA can go into that lockbox is if we have what is called reasonable, articulable suspicion of a selector that is related to terrorism," he said.
In 2012, NSA approved about 300 selectors, such as telephone numbers, to initiate queries into the virtual lockbox, Alexander said. For a request to be approved, he said, "there has to be a foreign nexus, an association with al-Qaida or other specified terrorist organizations."
Alexander cited Operation High-Rise as an example of how this process works in practice.
The NSA used a Section 702 authorization to compel a service provider to turn over the emails of terrorists the agency was tracking in Pakistan, he said. Armed with that information, Alexander said, analysts found that an al-Qaida terrorist in Pakistan was emailing a person they believed to be in Colorado, and that information was then turned over to the FBI.
The man in Colorado turned out to be Najibullah Zazi, the general said. The FBI provided the NSA with Zazi's phone number, which, combined with the email connection to the al-Qaida operative, provided reasonable, articulable suspicion for the NSA to access the virtual lockbox of telephone metadata, Alexander said.
"We looked in that lockbox, and we found that Zazi was talking to a guy in New York who had connections to other terrorist elements for another operation," he said. The access allowed the NSA to connect Zazi to other potential terrorists as well, the general said.
"We got that information in early September 2009 for an attack that was supposed to take place in mid-September," Alexander told the symposium audience. "It would have been the biggest al-Qaida attack on American soil since 9/11. We were privileged and honored to be a part of disrupting that plot. FAA 702 was the initial tip. That's how important these programs are."
In 2010, Zazi pleaded guilty to planning to conduct one of three coordinated suicide bombings on the New York City subway system during rush hour.
America's allies have benefitted from the surveillance programs, as well, Alexander said.
Last week, he said, the NSA provided to Congress 54 cases "in which these programs contributed to our understanding and, in many cases, helped enable the disruption of terrorist plots in the U.S. and in over 20 countries throughout the world."
Of the 54 cases, 42 involved disrupted plots, the general said. Twelve cases involved material support to terrorism, and 50 of the 54 led to arrests or detentions.
Forty-one cases involved targets outside the United States.
"Twenty-five of these events occurred in Europe, 11 in Asia, and five in Africa," Alexander said. "Thirteen events had a homeland nexus. In 12 of those events, Section 215 contributed to our overall understanding and help to the FBI, 12 of the 13. That's only where the business record FISA can play."
In all but one of the cases the NSA provided to Congress, Section 702 data played a role or provided the initial tip, Alexander said. "A significant portion -- almost half of our counterterrorism reporting -- comes from Section 702," he added.
The programs operate under a rigorous oversight framework, the general said. To target the content of a U.S. person's communications anywhere in the world, FISA's provisions require a finding of probable cause under a specific court order, he told the audience.
"These capabilities translate into significant information on ongoing terrorist activities, with no willful violations of our law," he said. "I think that's something to be proud of. We have defended the nation 54 times -- and our allies -- and we have ensured the protection of our civil liberties and privacy and oversight by ... all three branches of our government. I think that's what the nation expects our government to do: disrupt terrorist activities [and] defend our civil liberties and privacy."
Leaks Damage National Security, NSA Director Says
By Claudette Roulo
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, June 28, 2013 - Recent media leaks have caused "significant and irreversible damage" to U.S. security, the director of the National Security Agency said yesterday in Baltimore.
Public discussion of NSA's tradecraft or the tools that support its operations provides insights that the nation's adversaries can and do use, Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander told an audience at the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association International Cyber Symposium.
"Those who wish us harm now know how we counter their actions," Alexander said. "These leaks have caused significant and irreversible damage to our nation's security.
"The damage is real," he continued. "I believe the irresponsible release of classified information about these programs will have a long-term detrimental impact on the intelligence community's ability to detect future attacks. These leaks have inflamed and sensationalized for ignoble purposes the work that the intelligence community does lawfully under strict oversight and compliance."
Explaining the programs exposed by the leaks, the general said the 9/11 Commission found that the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States succeeded because "the intelligence community could not connect the dots, foreign and domestic."
To address that failing, Alexander said, the intelligence community set up and Congress authorized two programs. The first, Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act of 2001, allows the government to collect telephone metadata for foreign intelligence and international terrorism investigations. The second, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, allows the targeting, for foreign intelligence purposes, of communications of foreign persons who are located abroad.
Each program is subject to strict oversight procedures by all three branches of the government, Alexander said.
"We understand and support the need to ensure we protect both civil liberties and national security. It's not one or the other. It must be both," he said. "That's why we take oversight of these programs very seriously."
According to a June 2012 report issued by the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, the general said, the committee did not find any cases of a government official willfully circumventing or violating the law while using the access granted under these authorities.
Under Section 215, telephone metadata is collected from service providers and placed into a "virtual lockbox," the general explained. "The only way NSA can go into that lockbox is if we have what is called reasonable, articulable suspicion of a selector that is related to terrorism," he said.
In 2012, NSA approved about 300 selectors, such as telephone numbers, to initiate queries into the virtual lockbox, Alexander said. For a request to be approved, he said, "there has to be a foreign nexus, an association with al-Qaida or other specified terrorist organizations."
Alexander cited Operation High-Rise as an example of how this process works in practice.
The NSA used a Section 702 authorization to compel a service provider to turn over the emails of terrorists the agency was tracking in Pakistan, he said. Armed with that information, Alexander said, analysts found that an al-Qaida terrorist in Pakistan was emailing a person they believed to be in Colorado, and that information was then turned over to the FBI.
The man in Colorado turned out to be Najibullah Zazi, the general said. The FBI provided the NSA with Zazi's phone number, which, combined with the email connection to the al-Qaida operative, provided reasonable, articulable suspicion for the NSA to access the virtual lockbox of telephone metadata, Alexander said.
"We looked in that lockbox, and we found that Zazi was talking to a guy in New York who had connections to other terrorist elements for another operation," he said. The access allowed the NSA to connect Zazi to other potential terrorists as well, the general said.
"We got that information in early September 2009 for an attack that was supposed to take place in mid-September," Alexander told the symposium audience. "It would have been the biggest al-Qaida attack on American soil since 9/11. We were privileged and honored to be a part of disrupting that plot. FAA 702 was the initial tip. That's how important these programs are."
In 2010, Zazi pleaded guilty to planning to conduct one of three coordinated suicide bombings on the New York City subway system during rush hour.
America's allies have benefitted from the surveillance programs, as well, Alexander said.
Last week, he said, the NSA provided to Congress 54 cases "in which these programs contributed to our understanding and, in many cases, helped enable the disruption of terrorist plots in the U.S. and in over 20 countries throughout the world."
Of the 54 cases, 42 involved disrupted plots, the general said. Twelve cases involved material support to terrorism, and 50 of the 54 led to arrests or detentions.
Forty-one cases involved targets outside the United States.
"Twenty-five of these events occurred in Europe, 11 in Asia, and five in Africa," Alexander said. "Thirteen events had a homeland nexus. In 12 of those events, Section 215 contributed to our overall understanding and help to the FBI, 12 of the 13. That's only where the business record FISA can play."
In all but one of the cases the NSA provided to Congress, Section 702 data played a role or provided the initial tip, Alexander said. "A significant portion -- almost half of our counterterrorism reporting -- comes from Section 702," he added.
The programs operate under a rigorous oversight framework, the general said. To target the content of a U.S. person's communications anywhere in the world, FISA's provisions require a finding of probable cause under a specific court order, he told the audience.
"These capabilities translate into significant information on ongoing terrorist activities, with no willful violations of our law," he said. "I think that's something to be proud of. We have defended the nation 54 times -- and our allies -- and we have ensured the protection of our civil liberties and privacy and oversight by ... all three branches of our government. I think that's what the nation expects our government to do: disrupt terrorist activities [and] defend our civil liberties and privacy."
GENERAL DEMPSEY SPEAKS AT BROOKINGS INSTITUTION ON SERIOUSNESS OF CYBER THREAT
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
DOD Must Stay Ahead of Cyber Threat, Dempsey Says
By Claudette Roulo
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, June 27, 2013 - In its mission to defend the nation, the Defense Department must stay ahead of the ongoing technological revolution and its attendant rise in "anywhere, any time" cyber threats, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here today.
"As the defense community begins to focus inward on the implications of changing resources and this thing called sequestration, I think it's important that we force ourselves to continue to look outward, at the changing world around us," Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey told attendees at a Brookings Institution forum.
Computers continue to be integrated into in everyone's daily lives, the chairman said. "By this time next year, I'm quite certain that my toaster will be connected to the Internet and probably tweeting," he joked. "But the spread of digital technology has not been without consequence. It has also introduced new dangers to our security and our safety."
Dempsey told the audience that in his two years as chairman, he has focused on what this revolution means for the military. He has spoken with information technology experts, major tech company security teams, and spent time with an Internet service provider. He even met with a venture capitalist, he said.
"One thing is clear: cyber has escalated from an issue of moderate concern to one of the most serious threats to our national security," Dempsey said. Now, the entire country could be disrupted by the click of mouse, he added.
To address these threats, the military must take on new missions, the chairman said.
"Cyber incidents have steadily escalated over the past year," Dempsey said. Banks and oil companies have been targeted by sophisticated attacks, he said, and more than 20 nations now have military cyber units.
"This is the new normal in cyberspace," Dempsey said. "Disruptive and destructive cyberattacks are becoming a part of conflict between states, within states, and among nonstate actors. The borderless nature of cyberspace means anyone, anywhere in the world, can use cyber to affect someone else."
It isn't enough to just strengthen cyber defenses on military systems, the chairman said. Intrusion attempts on critical civilian infrastructure systems have increased 17-fold over the last two years, he said. "The gap between cyber defenses deployed across critical infrastructure and offensive tools we now know exist presents a significant vulnerability for our nation," Dempsey said.
In response to the threat, the Defense Department is growing its capacity to protect its own networks, and it's adding a new mission: defending the nation, when asked, from attacks of significant consequence -- those that threaten life, limb, and the country's core critical infrastructure, the chairman said.
Over the next four years, 4,000 cyber operators will join the ranks of U.S. Cyber Command, and $23 billion will be invested in cybersecurity, he said.
Three types of teams will operate around the clock at Cyber Command, Dempsey said. National mission teams will counter adversary cyberattacks on the United States. "A second and larger set of teams will support our combatant commanders as they execute military our missions around the globe," Dempsey said. "The largest set of teams will operate and defend the networks that support our military operations worldwide."
The most immediate priority is securing the "dot-mil" domain, the chairman said. "But in the event of a domestic cyber crisis," he added, "our cyber forces will work in support of the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI, who lead our nation's response in the dot-gov and dot-com domains."
To ensure this force is able to operate quickly, the Defense Department now has a "playbook" for cyber, Dempsey said, noting that a presidential directive codifies how each part of the government will respond in the event of a serious cyberattack. Under this directive, the department has developed emergency procedures to guide its response to imminent, significant cyber threats, the chairman said.
The Defense Department is updating its cyber rules of engagement for the first time in seven years, he added, and also is improving mission command for cyber forces.
While cyber may be the nation's greatest vulnerability, Dempsey said, it also presents the military with a tremendous asymmetric advantage. "The military that maintains the most agile and resilient networks will be the most effective in future war," he told the audience. "This is the kind of force we are building for the future."
Each branch of the military is doing its part, the chairman said, by investing in equipment and personnel that will ensure the joint force can operate in cyberspace as capably as it can on land, sea, air, and space. The next step is the planned Joint Information Environment, he said -- a single, easy to secure, joint network delivering data to the department's personnel wherever and whenever they need it.
"As part of this new Joint Information Environment, we're building a secure 4G wireless network that will get iPads, iPhones and Android devices online in 2014," the chairman said. "With tools like this, the smartphone generation joining our military will help us pioneer a new era of mobile command and control."
Although the Defense Department has made significant progress in embracing cyber, the nation's effort to protect critical civilian infrastructure is lagging -- a worrisome vulnerability, the chairman said. Sharing information about cyber threats is one of the most important ways to strengthen cybersecurity across the private sector, he added, but threat information primarily is shared in only one direction: from the government to critical infrastructure operators.
"That has to change," Dempsey said. "We can't stop an attack unless we can see it."
The country is debating the proper purpose and limits of intelligence collection for national security, the general said, but these are two entirely different issues, and it is a mistake to combine them.
"One is collecting the intelligence necessary to locate foreign terrorists and their potential domestic co-conspirators," he explained. "The other is sharing information about malware to protect our critical infrastructure from a different kind of attack."
Ultimately, he said, "it will take legislation to significantly strengthen our ability to withstand cyberattacks while safeguarding civil liberties."
Information sharing is just one path to safer network operations, the chairman said. Others include improved cybersecurity standards and the establishment of internationally recognized rules for responsible behavior in cyberspace.
"The rise of cyber is the most striking development in the post-9/11 national security landscape," Dempsey told the audience. "We are doing everything we can inside the military to be ready to operate in cyberspace. I call on our elected officials and the private sector to match the urgency. Together, we must place this nation on surer footing against the cyber threat."
DOD Must Stay Ahead of Cyber Threat, Dempsey Says
By Claudette Roulo
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, June 27, 2013 - In its mission to defend the nation, the Defense Department must stay ahead of the ongoing technological revolution and its attendant rise in "anywhere, any time" cyber threats, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here today.
"As the defense community begins to focus inward on the implications of changing resources and this thing called sequestration, I think it's important that we force ourselves to continue to look outward, at the changing world around us," Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey told attendees at a Brookings Institution forum.
Computers continue to be integrated into in everyone's daily lives, the chairman said. "By this time next year, I'm quite certain that my toaster will be connected to the Internet and probably tweeting," he joked. "But the spread of digital technology has not been without consequence. It has also introduced new dangers to our security and our safety."
Dempsey told the audience that in his two years as chairman, he has focused on what this revolution means for the military. He has spoken with information technology experts, major tech company security teams, and spent time with an Internet service provider. He even met with a venture capitalist, he said.
"One thing is clear: cyber has escalated from an issue of moderate concern to one of the most serious threats to our national security," Dempsey said. Now, the entire country could be disrupted by the click of mouse, he added.
To address these threats, the military must take on new missions, the chairman said.
"Cyber incidents have steadily escalated over the past year," Dempsey said. Banks and oil companies have been targeted by sophisticated attacks, he said, and more than 20 nations now have military cyber units.
"This is the new normal in cyberspace," Dempsey said. "Disruptive and destructive cyberattacks are becoming a part of conflict between states, within states, and among nonstate actors. The borderless nature of cyberspace means anyone, anywhere in the world, can use cyber to affect someone else."
It isn't enough to just strengthen cyber defenses on military systems, the chairman said. Intrusion attempts on critical civilian infrastructure systems have increased 17-fold over the last two years, he said. "The gap between cyber defenses deployed across critical infrastructure and offensive tools we now know exist presents a significant vulnerability for our nation," Dempsey said.
In response to the threat, the Defense Department is growing its capacity to protect its own networks, and it's adding a new mission: defending the nation, when asked, from attacks of significant consequence -- those that threaten life, limb, and the country's core critical infrastructure, the chairman said.
Over the next four years, 4,000 cyber operators will join the ranks of U.S. Cyber Command, and $23 billion will be invested in cybersecurity, he said.
Three types of teams will operate around the clock at Cyber Command, Dempsey said. National mission teams will counter adversary cyberattacks on the United States. "A second and larger set of teams will support our combatant commanders as they execute military our missions around the globe," Dempsey said. "The largest set of teams will operate and defend the networks that support our military operations worldwide."
The most immediate priority is securing the "dot-mil" domain, the chairman said. "But in the event of a domestic cyber crisis," he added, "our cyber forces will work in support of the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI, who lead our nation's response in the dot-gov and dot-com domains."
To ensure this force is able to operate quickly, the Defense Department now has a "playbook" for cyber, Dempsey said, noting that a presidential directive codifies how each part of the government will respond in the event of a serious cyberattack. Under this directive, the department has developed emergency procedures to guide its response to imminent, significant cyber threats, the chairman said.
The Defense Department is updating its cyber rules of engagement for the first time in seven years, he added, and also is improving mission command for cyber forces.
While cyber may be the nation's greatest vulnerability, Dempsey said, it also presents the military with a tremendous asymmetric advantage. "The military that maintains the most agile and resilient networks will be the most effective in future war," he told the audience. "This is the kind of force we are building for the future."
Each branch of the military is doing its part, the chairman said, by investing in equipment and personnel that will ensure the joint force can operate in cyberspace as capably as it can on land, sea, air, and space. The next step is the planned Joint Information Environment, he said -- a single, easy to secure, joint network delivering data to the department's personnel wherever and whenever they need it.
"As part of this new Joint Information Environment, we're building a secure 4G wireless network that will get iPads, iPhones and Android devices online in 2014," the chairman said. "With tools like this, the smartphone generation joining our military will help us pioneer a new era of mobile command and control."
Although the Defense Department has made significant progress in embracing cyber, the nation's effort to protect critical civilian infrastructure is lagging -- a worrisome vulnerability, the chairman said. Sharing information about cyber threats is one of the most important ways to strengthen cybersecurity across the private sector, he added, but threat information primarily is shared in only one direction: from the government to critical infrastructure operators.
"That has to change," Dempsey said. "We can't stop an attack unless we can see it."
The country is debating the proper purpose and limits of intelligence collection for national security, the general said, but these are two entirely different issues, and it is a mistake to combine them.
"One is collecting the intelligence necessary to locate foreign terrorists and their potential domestic co-conspirators," he explained. "The other is sharing information about malware to protect our critical infrastructure from a different kind of attack."
Ultimately, he said, "it will take legislation to significantly strengthen our ability to withstand cyberattacks while safeguarding civil liberties."
Information sharing is just one path to safer network operations, the chairman said. Others include improved cybersecurity standards and the establishment of internationally recognized rules for responsible behavior in cyberspace.
"The rise of cyber is the most striking development in the post-9/11 national security landscape," Dempsey told the audience. "We are doing everything we can inside the military to be ready to operate in cyberspace. I call on our elected officials and the private sector to match the urgency. Together, we must place this nation on surer footing against the cyber threat."
SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY"S PRESS AVAILIBILITY IN TEL AVIV, ISRAEL
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Press Availability in Tel Aviv
Press Availability
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Tel Aviv, Israel
June 30, 2013
SECRETARY KERRY: I apologize for keeping everybody waiting, but I am pleased to tell you that we have made real progress on this trip, and I believe that with a little more work, the start of final status negotiations could be within reach. We started out with very wide gaps and we have narrowed those considerably. We have some specific details and work to pursue, but I am absolutely confident that we are on the right track and that all of the parties are working in very good faith in order to get to the right place. The most important thing is that I believe the parties – it’s not my perception, but I think what the parties themselves believe is possible here, in the end, the choices here are really up to them.
And as I have talked the last few days intensively with leaders in Jordan, in the West Bank, in Palestine, as well as in Israel with Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas particularly, I’ve really been impressed with their serious commitment to this task. They have spent hours working through language, working through ideas, and the effort that they and their teams have put into this convinces me of their interest in being successful.
They understand that in the pursuit of this new partnership, one ally none of us have is time. Time threatens the situations on the ground, it allows them to worsen, it provides time for misinterpretations, mistrust to harden. It allows time for vacuums to be filled by bad actors. It also allows time for people who want to undermine efforts to make peace to undertake their activities. Finally, of course, it lets patience wear thin and cynicism to solidify, and for unforeseen events to even enter into a closing window.
So our immediate goal is, of course, to resume permanent status negotiations. It is not to negotiate for the sake of negotiating. What we want, and most important, what the people who live here want, all of the people who live here, is an enduring solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and that is a solution that will lead to two states for two peoples which the majority of Israelis and Palestinians clearly want. It is a solution that will strengthen Israel’s security and it will strengthen its future as a Jewish state, and that will give the Palestinian people the chance to fulfill their legitimate aspirations in a country of their own.
In our talks, Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas both engaged constructively, carefully, seriously. We considered different approaches, and I am very hopeful that we are close to an approach that will work. But it will take a little bit more time to work through some of the details and modalities. Both leaders have asked me to continue my efforts to help bring them together, and I am leaving several staff people here to work on these details in the next week or so. And I believe their request to me to return to the area soon is a sign that they share my cautious optimism, and that is why they’ve asked me to come back here as we complete the work on these details.
Now, obviously, we’re all working very, very hard, and I know that it is a worthwhile endeavor; that I am convinced of. I also know progress when I see it, and we are making progress. That’s what’s important and that’s what will bring me back here.
Thank you. I’d be happy to answer any questions.
MODERATOR: Thank you. We’re going to take a few questions now. The first is from Michael Gordon of The New York Times.
QUESTION: Sir, for three days you’ve been meeting day and night, traveling back and forth between Jordan and Israel. If it’s been this difficult to get the parties to agree even to sit down together and negotiate, why is there reason to think that negotiations would actually succeed?
And a related question: The Israelis say Prime Minister Netanyahu offered a package by the end of your marathon session and Mr. Erekat says there was no breakthrough. You’ve talked of progress. What is this progress that you say you’ve made here? What are the main elements of the package that you’re trying to put together?
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, I’m not going to go into any of the elements of the package, Michael, because we have all agreed that the best way to serve this effort is not to be floating ideas or possibilities out there for everybody to tear apart and evaluate and analyze. The leaders will make those decisions. And that’s why this is difficult. Tony Blair is fond of saying that the hardest part is the launch, and the reason is both sides want to understand what the parameters are, what sort of the understanding is about how and what will – how will you negotiate and what will be negotiated about. Once you get to that, then you can begin to really dig in and get to the hard work.
So as I said, the gaps were very broad when we began. They are now, I think, very narrow. And we have, as I said, some work to do. I’m leaving staff here. I wouldn’t be doing that if I didn’t believe we had something serious to work on. And I’m going to come back because both leaders have asked me to, and I think I wouldn’t be asked to and I wouldn’t do it if there wasn’t some hope and possibility in that.
So I think this is worth it, folks. This has been years and years and years. If it takes another week or two weeks or some more time, that’s minimal, miniscule compared to the stakes and compared to what we’re trying to do. And the fact that both parties have insisted that they want to continue and work on where we are and insist that it’s important for me to come back at the appropriate time, I will do so. That’s what President Obama committed to and that’s the work that he’s asked me to do.
MODERATOR: Thank you. The next question is from Atilla Somfalvi with Ynet.
QUESTION: Yes. Secretary, is there a timeframe? I mean, September is coming up and we are waiting for the presidents to go back to the UN, till September to the end of August. What is the deadline?
SECRETARY KERRY: We’re not going to get stuck with artificial deadlines. That’s a big mistake. As I just said to you, I’m leaving people here who will continue to work on some of this, and they have asked me to return in the near term. So my hope is that the details and the work that I talked about can be completed. If it can’t, I won’t come back at that time, but I believe it will be.
I’m feeling very hopeful, as I said earlier, that we have a concept that is being now fleshed out and that people have a sense of how this might be able to go forward. And that is why I said that I believe the start of negotiations could be within reach. Obviously, the work has to be completed. People have to make a few choices still. But the gap has been narrowed very significantly.
I’m pleased and proud of the work that everybody has done. Prime Minister Netanyahu and his team were up until – I think we were there till 4:00 in the morning this morning, working for hours, and we did that the day before, and again with President Abbas. Frankly, we need to take a little more time to work with both sides on a couple of issues that I think are worth working on.
So I’m not going to get into them. It’s a mistake. We are committed through this process. When and if we get to those negotiations, which I hope we will get to, we are committed not to talk about what we’re doing, because that’s the way we’re going to be able to really work seriously. I know it’s going to be frustrating for you and for other people, and there will be speculation and conjecture and rumors and inaccuracies out there. That is not going to disturb us. We are committed to work on what we know we’re working on, and that’s the way we’re going to maintain the integrity of this effort.
MODERATOR: Great. The next question is from Leslie Wroughton of Reuters.
QUESTION: Leslie Wroughton from Reuters. Mr. Secretary, what was – I understand you’ve been busy with the Middle East process, but there are other pressing global issues going on. One is Egypt. The White House said this morning it has been in touch with all parts of the Egyptian Government, including President Morsy’s office. Have you participated in those talks? And what is it that the Egyptians --
SECRETARY KERRY: Who had? I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you.
QUESTION: The White House had said.
SECRETARY KERRY: Yes.
QUESTION: And have you participated in those talks? Also, in the new security environment, what is the U.S. doing to protect U.S. interests? And is that response informed by what happened in Benghazi? Is that response informed by what happened in Benghazi?
SECRETARY KERRY: The Embassy –
QUESTION: Yes.
SECRETARY KERRY: -- in Cairo?
QUESTION: Correct. And then on Syria, you are going to meet Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov in Brunei. What are you going to tell him? And would you expect to get attention – Mr. Lavrov’s attention following recent rebel gains on the battlefield? Are the rebels doing this with more weapons, better weapons?
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, with respect to Egypt, I have – believe it or not, even in the middle of this, I’m keeping in very close tabs with what’s happening in Egypt as well as Syria. And I have talked to Mr. ElBaradei, I’ve talked to Amr Moussa, I have talked with leaders of Gulf countries particularly – talked with King Abdullah, talked with – every meeting I’ve had, we have also focused on Egypt, because Egypt is a great concern to all of us. So – and I have talked with the White House regularly with respect to what we’re doing as well as the State Department in order to make sure that we’re taking the right precautions, and that leads me into the question.
The Embassy – we are very confident about the status, we believe, of the Embassy. There are a great many Embassy folks who are on voluntary – who have been offered a voluntary drawdown. It’s up to them whether or not they want to draw down. In addition to that, we have a huge number of people who are actually on leave and away because of vacation and home leave time. So we believe our Embassy is appropriately staffed, and we believe it is appropriately protected. And we’ve been in touch, obviously, with Ambassador Patterson and staying in close touch with people on the ground.
We are also talking about – sort of not just today, but the day after today, what happens in the future as we go forward. We – I want to extend my condolences to the family of Andrew Pochter, who was killed in Alexandria on the 28th. We have issued, always, advisories with respect to travel. On the 28th, we issued a alert which is a more compelling, urgent statement about the potential of violence. We’ve urged everybody for weeks now to have knowledge about demonstrations and not to take part in them, or to try to stay away from them.
And so I think that we’re monitoring very, very closely events in Egypt. I know that there are about 10,000 folks or so in Tahrir Square at this moment and growing. The heat is about 40 degrees Centigrade, so it’s keeping people somewhat away, but I think as the afternoon goes on, the crowds will grow and the evening is obviously what we’re watching very, very closely. So we’re very much alert to and concerned about and in touch on the subject of Egypt.
QUESTION: And Syria?
SECRETARY KERRY: Syria, well, I’m going to – I look forward to my conversation with Foreign Minister Lavrov. I’m actually anxious to get there and to engage with him because the situation in Syria is grave. We continue to hope that – and there have been talks in the last days with Lakhdar Brahimi and Under Secretary Sherman, and we are very much hopeful that the concept of the peaceful resolution, no matter what’s happening in Homs, no matter what’s happening, is the only way to try to save Syria.
And there is no, as I have said many times, military solution to the problem of Syria. Now, the Assad regime wants to move to the contrary. Clearly, part of my conversation with Foreign Minister Lavrov and with the Russians will be how we can maximize our efforts together to have an impact on this. Now, I’m not going to go into greater detail with respect to that conversation, but I very much look forward to meeting with Sergey Lavrov when I get there.
MODERATOR: And our final question is from Abdul Raouk-Arnout of Al-Ayam newspaper.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, for the last three days, you’ve been shuttling between Amman, Ramallah, and Jerusalem. Now, we know nothing about these meetings. How these meetings were going? What difficult – it’s about, I think, 20 hours of meetings with President Arafat – President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu. So can you describe these meetings, how well it going?
And you’ve said that you don’t want to get into the details. Fine, but the issue of settlements, is it the main obstacle that you’ve been facing at these meetings?
SECRETARY KERRY: The answer is no, there are any number of obstacles, but we’re working through them. And we made progress, as I said, in every sector. We still have, as I said, a little bit of work to do, and I look forward to doing it. But we have widened – again, we have taken a very, very wide gap and we’ve narrowed it. And these are very complicated talks because the stakes are very, very high for everybody. This is about a country, two countries and two peoples and peace and the possibilities of avoiding war and how you guarantee things where years and years of conflict have hardened feelings and hardened emotions and hardened realities.
So it’s hard to work through that. I’m impressed by the attitude, I’m impressed by the seriousness, I’m impressed by the commitment. The fact that we sat there for all those hours; worked through difficult issues; worked through hard, long-term, entrenched beliefs; and found facts and found a way to organize some thoughts is very, very important here. And so I’m very positive. I mean, if I didn’t have to go to have these meetings and to take part as I need to, I’d stay here and we’d continue to work. I’m leaving people here to work.
So I hope people feel the strength of possibilities here. I’m a believer in possibilities. I see them now. And I see them more clearly. We have to have the courage to stay at this and to make some tough decisions. Now, they’re not my decisions. They belong to some other people. My job is to try to help clarify and encourage and perhaps even occasionally put ideas on the table that can help move us in the right direction. I believe we are doing that, and I thank Prime Minister Netanyahu and I thank President Abbas. They have both made serious efforts to move.
That doesn’t mean because you have a few more things to work through over the period of whatever amount of time that people should feel, "Oh my gosh, we’re not getting there." This process has been pretty dead in the water for four or five years. So we’re trying to come back from that, and I’m encouraged by the seriousness of purpose indicated by both teams. They are working hard. We all are. And we’re determined to get there, all of us.
Thank you all very much. Appreciate it.
Press Availability in Tel Aviv
Press Availability
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Tel Aviv, Israel
June 30, 2013
SECRETARY KERRY: I apologize for keeping everybody waiting, but I am pleased to tell you that we have made real progress on this trip, and I believe that with a little more work, the start of final status negotiations could be within reach. We started out with very wide gaps and we have narrowed those considerably. We have some specific details and work to pursue, but I am absolutely confident that we are on the right track and that all of the parties are working in very good faith in order to get to the right place. The most important thing is that I believe the parties – it’s not my perception, but I think what the parties themselves believe is possible here, in the end, the choices here are really up to them.
And as I have talked the last few days intensively with leaders in Jordan, in the West Bank, in Palestine, as well as in Israel with Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas particularly, I’ve really been impressed with their serious commitment to this task. They have spent hours working through language, working through ideas, and the effort that they and their teams have put into this convinces me of their interest in being successful.
They understand that in the pursuit of this new partnership, one ally none of us have is time. Time threatens the situations on the ground, it allows them to worsen, it provides time for misinterpretations, mistrust to harden. It allows time for vacuums to be filled by bad actors. It also allows time for people who want to undermine efforts to make peace to undertake their activities. Finally, of course, it lets patience wear thin and cynicism to solidify, and for unforeseen events to even enter into a closing window.
So our immediate goal is, of course, to resume permanent status negotiations. It is not to negotiate for the sake of negotiating. What we want, and most important, what the people who live here want, all of the people who live here, is an enduring solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and that is a solution that will lead to two states for two peoples which the majority of Israelis and Palestinians clearly want. It is a solution that will strengthen Israel’s security and it will strengthen its future as a Jewish state, and that will give the Palestinian people the chance to fulfill their legitimate aspirations in a country of their own.
In our talks, Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas both engaged constructively, carefully, seriously. We considered different approaches, and I am very hopeful that we are close to an approach that will work. But it will take a little bit more time to work through some of the details and modalities. Both leaders have asked me to continue my efforts to help bring them together, and I am leaving several staff people here to work on these details in the next week or so. And I believe their request to me to return to the area soon is a sign that they share my cautious optimism, and that is why they’ve asked me to come back here as we complete the work on these details.
Now, obviously, we’re all working very, very hard, and I know that it is a worthwhile endeavor; that I am convinced of. I also know progress when I see it, and we are making progress. That’s what’s important and that’s what will bring me back here.
Thank you. I’d be happy to answer any questions.
MODERATOR: Thank you. We’re going to take a few questions now. The first is from Michael Gordon of The New York Times.
QUESTION: Sir, for three days you’ve been meeting day and night, traveling back and forth between Jordan and Israel. If it’s been this difficult to get the parties to agree even to sit down together and negotiate, why is there reason to think that negotiations would actually succeed?
And a related question: The Israelis say Prime Minister Netanyahu offered a package by the end of your marathon session and Mr. Erekat says there was no breakthrough. You’ve talked of progress. What is this progress that you say you’ve made here? What are the main elements of the package that you’re trying to put together?
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, I’m not going to go into any of the elements of the package, Michael, because we have all agreed that the best way to serve this effort is not to be floating ideas or possibilities out there for everybody to tear apart and evaluate and analyze. The leaders will make those decisions. And that’s why this is difficult. Tony Blair is fond of saying that the hardest part is the launch, and the reason is both sides want to understand what the parameters are, what sort of the understanding is about how and what will – how will you negotiate and what will be negotiated about. Once you get to that, then you can begin to really dig in and get to the hard work.
So as I said, the gaps were very broad when we began. They are now, I think, very narrow. And we have, as I said, some work to do. I’m leaving staff here. I wouldn’t be doing that if I didn’t believe we had something serious to work on. And I’m going to come back because both leaders have asked me to, and I think I wouldn’t be asked to and I wouldn’t do it if there wasn’t some hope and possibility in that.
So I think this is worth it, folks. This has been years and years and years. If it takes another week or two weeks or some more time, that’s minimal, miniscule compared to the stakes and compared to what we’re trying to do. And the fact that both parties have insisted that they want to continue and work on where we are and insist that it’s important for me to come back at the appropriate time, I will do so. That’s what President Obama committed to and that’s the work that he’s asked me to do.
MODERATOR: Thank you. The next question is from Atilla Somfalvi with Ynet.
QUESTION: Yes. Secretary, is there a timeframe? I mean, September is coming up and we are waiting for the presidents to go back to the UN, till September to the end of August. What is the deadline?
SECRETARY KERRY: We’re not going to get stuck with artificial deadlines. That’s a big mistake. As I just said to you, I’m leaving people here who will continue to work on some of this, and they have asked me to return in the near term. So my hope is that the details and the work that I talked about can be completed. If it can’t, I won’t come back at that time, but I believe it will be.
I’m feeling very hopeful, as I said earlier, that we have a concept that is being now fleshed out and that people have a sense of how this might be able to go forward. And that is why I said that I believe the start of negotiations could be within reach. Obviously, the work has to be completed. People have to make a few choices still. But the gap has been narrowed very significantly.
I’m pleased and proud of the work that everybody has done. Prime Minister Netanyahu and his team were up until – I think we were there till 4:00 in the morning this morning, working for hours, and we did that the day before, and again with President Abbas. Frankly, we need to take a little more time to work with both sides on a couple of issues that I think are worth working on.
So I’m not going to get into them. It’s a mistake. We are committed through this process. When and if we get to those negotiations, which I hope we will get to, we are committed not to talk about what we’re doing, because that’s the way we’re going to be able to really work seriously. I know it’s going to be frustrating for you and for other people, and there will be speculation and conjecture and rumors and inaccuracies out there. That is not going to disturb us. We are committed to work on what we know we’re working on, and that’s the way we’re going to maintain the integrity of this effort.
MODERATOR: Great. The next question is from Leslie Wroughton of Reuters.
QUESTION: Leslie Wroughton from Reuters. Mr. Secretary, what was – I understand you’ve been busy with the Middle East process, but there are other pressing global issues going on. One is Egypt. The White House said this morning it has been in touch with all parts of the Egyptian Government, including President Morsy’s office. Have you participated in those talks? And what is it that the Egyptians --
SECRETARY KERRY: Who had? I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you.
QUESTION: The White House had said.
SECRETARY KERRY: Yes.
QUESTION: And have you participated in those talks? Also, in the new security environment, what is the U.S. doing to protect U.S. interests? And is that response informed by what happened in Benghazi? Is that response informed by what happened in Benghazi?
SECRETARY KERRY: The Embassy –
QUESTION: Yes.
SECRETARY KERRY: -- in Cairo?
QUESTION: Correct. And then on Syria, you are going to meet Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov in Brunei. What are you going to tell him? And would you expect to get attention – Mr. Lavrov’s attention following recent rebel gains on the battlefield? Are the rebels doing this with more weapons, better weapons?
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, with respect to Egypt, I have – believe it or not, even in the middle of this, I’m keeping in very close tabs with what’s happening in Egypt as well as Syria. And I have talked to Mr. ElBaradei, I’ve talked to Amr Moussa, I have talked with leaders of Gulf countries particularly – talked with King Abdullah, talked with – every meeting I’ve had, we have also focused on Egypt, because Egypt is a great concern to all of us. So – and I have talked with the White House regularly with respect to what we’re doing as well as the State Department in order to make sure that we’re taking the right precautions, and that leads me into the question.
The Embassy – we are very confident about the status, we believe, of the Embassy. There are a great many Embassy folks who are on voluntary – who have been offered a voluntary drawdown. It’s up to them whether or not they want to draw down. In addition to that, we have a huge number of people who are actually on leave and away because of vacation and home leave time. So we believe our Embassy is appropriately staffed, and we believe it is appropriately protected. And we’ve been in touch, obviously, with Ambassador Patterson and staying in close touch with people on the ground.
We are also talking about – sort of not just today, but the day after today, what happens in the future as we go forward. We – I want to extend my condolences to the family of Andrew Pochter, who was killed in Alexandria on the 28th. We have issued, always, advisories with respect to travel. On the 28th, we issued a alert which is a more compelling, urgent statement about the potential of violence. We’ve urged everybody for weeks now to have knowledge about demonstrations and not to take part in them, or to try to stay away from them.
And so I think that we’re monitoring very, very closely events in Egypt. I know that there are about 10,000 folks or so in Tahrir Square at this moment and growing. The heat is about 40 degrees Centigrade, so it’s keeping people somewhat away, but I think as the afternoon goes on, the crowds will grow and the evening is obviously what we’re watching very, very closely. So we’re very much alert to and concerned about and in touch on the subject of Egypt.
QUESTION: And Syria?
SECRETARY KERRY: Syria, well, I’m going to – I look forward to my conversation with Foreign Minister Lavrov. I’m actually anxious to get there and to engage with him because the situation in Syria is grave. We continue to hope that – and there have been talks in the last days with Lakhdar Brahimi and Under Secretary Sherman, and we are very much hopeful that the concept of the peaceful resolution, no matter what’s happening in Homs, no matter what’s happening, is the only way to try to save Syria.
And there is no, as I have said many times, military solution to the problem of Syria. Now, the Assad regime wants to move to the contrary. Clearly, part of my conversation with Foreign Minister Lavrov and with the Russians will be how we can maximize our efforts together to have an impact on this. Now, I’m not going to go into greater detail with respect to that conversation, but I very much look forward to meeting with Sergey Lavrov when I get there.
MODERATOR: And our final question is from Abdul Raouk-Arnout of Al-Ayam newspaper.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, for the last three days, you’ve been shuttling between Amman, Ramallah, and Jerusalem. Now, we know nothing about these meetings. How these meetings were going? What difficult – it’s about, I think, 20 hours of meetings with President Arafat – President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu. So can you describe these meetings, how well it going?
And you’ve said that you don’t want to get into the details. Fine, but the issue of settlements, is it the main obstacle that you’ve been facing at these meetings?
SECRETARY KERRY: The answer is no, there are any number of obstacles, but we’re working through them. And we made progress, as I said, in every sector. We still have, as I said, a little bit of work to do, and I look forward to doing it. But we have widened – again, we have taken a very, very wide gap and we’ve narrowed it. And these are very complicated talks because the stakes are very, very high for everybody. This is about a country, two countries and two peoples and peace and the possibilities of avoiding war and how you guarantee things where years and years of conflict have hardened feelings and hardened emotions and hardened realities.
So it’s hard to work through that. I’m impressed by the attitude, I’m impressed by the seriousness, I’m impressed by the commitment. The fact that we sat there for all those hours; worked through difficult issues; worked through hard, long-term, entrenched beliefs; and found facts and found a way to organize some thoughts is very, very important here. And so I’m very positive. I mean, if I didn’t have to go to have these meetings and to take part as I need to, I’d stay here and we’d continue to work. I’m leaving people here to work.
So I hope people feel the strength of possibilities here. I’m a believer in possibilities. I see them now. And I see them more clearly. We have to have the courage to stay at this and to make some tough decisions. Now, they’re not my decisions. They belong to some other people. My job is to try to help clarify and encourage and perhaps even occasionally put ideas on the table that can help move us in the right direction. I believe we are doing that, and I thank Prime Minister Netanyahu and I thank President Abbas. They have both made serious efforts to move.
That doesn’t mean because you have a few more things to work through over the period of whatever amount of time that people should feel, "Oh my gosh, we’re not getting there." This process has been pretty dead in the water for four or five years. So we’re trying to come back from that, and I’m encouraged by the seriousness of purpose indicated by both teams. They are working hard. We all are. And we’re determined to get there, all of us.
Thank you all very much. Appreciate it.
U.S. CONGRATULATES CANADIAN PEOPLE FOR CANADA DAY
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Message to the Canadian People for Canada Day
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
June 27, 2013
On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, it is my pleasure to congratulate the people of Canada as you celebrate the 146th anniversary of your Confederation on July 1.
The close bonds of friendship between the United States and Canada extend far beyond our borders. Our shared history, vast cultural exchange, and thriving trade relationship have allowed our respective nations to build a dynamic alliance in the Western Hemisphere and beyond.
Our shared cultural, political, and economic values strengthen our commitment to serve and protect the people of our two countries.
I was proud to welcome Foreign Minister John Baird to Washington for my first bilateral meeting as Secretary, underscoring our close bond.
The United States is proud to celebrate Canada’s successes and accomplishments. As you recognize this occasion with friends, family, and countrymen, the United States looks forward to forging an even brighter future together with our partner and ally.
I wish all Canadians a safe and happy Canada Day celebration.
Message to the Canadian People for Canada Day
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
June 27, 2013
On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, it is my pleasure to congratulate the people of Canada as you celebrate the 146th anniversary of your Confederation on July 1.
The close bonds of friendship between the United States and Canada extend far beyond our borders. Our shared history, vast cultural exchange, and thriving trade relationship have allowed our respective nations to build a dynamic alliance in the Western Hemisphere and beyond.
Our shared cultural, political, and economic values strengthen our commitment to serve and protect the people of our two countries.
I was proud to welcome Foreign Minister John Baird to Washington for my first bilateral meeting as Secretary, underscoring our close bond.
The United States is proud to celebrate Canada’s successes and accomplishments. As you recognize this occasion with friends, family, and countrymen, the United States looks forward to forging an even brighter future together with our partner and ally.
I wish all Canadians a safe and happy Canada Day celebration.
EXPORT-IMPORT BANK FINANCES EXPORT OF U.S. AIRCRAFT AND ENGINES TO ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES
FROM: U.S. EXPORT-IMPORT BANK
Ex-Im Bank Authorizes $130 Million To Finance Export of U.S.-Manufactured Aircraft and Engines to Ethiopian Airlines
Ex-Im Bank Chairman Fred P. Hochberg Announces Financing in Addis Ababa Today
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) has authorized nearly $130 million in financing to support the export of Boeing long-range aircraft and installed GE-90 engines to Ethiopian Airlines.
The transaction will support an estimated 700 American jobs in the aircraft and aircraft-engine manufacturing industry, according to an Ex-Im Bank estimate derived from U.S. Departments of Commerce and Labor data and methodology.
Ex-Im Bank Chairman Fred P. Hochberg announced the transaction today in Addis Ababa. Hochberg is in Ethiopia conducting meetings with government and business leaders as part of a week-long business development trip to India, Ethiopia and South Africa.
"Ex-Im Bank is pleased to add another transaction in our successful partnership with Ethiopian Airlines, which is supporting hundreds of jobs in the U.S. aerospace industry. This transaction also demonstrates the tremendous potential of Africa for U.S. exporters," said Ex-Im Bank Chairman Fred P. Hochberg. "Our financing of high-quality, ‘Made in the USA’ aircraft and engines is also helping Ethiopian Airlines continue to expand its service throughout Africa and beyond the continent."
From 2003 through 2013, Ex-Im Bank has approved more than $2.2 billion to finance exports of U.S.-manufactured aircraft and aircraft engines to Ethiopian Airlines. In May 2012, Ex-Im Bank authorized financing to support 10 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft to Ethiopian Airlines. Four of the aircraft were funded through a capital-markets bond issuance in November 2012.
Ex-Im Bank Authorizes $130 Million To Finance Export of U.S.-Manufactured Aircraft and Engines to Ethiopian Airlines
Ex-Im Bank Chairman Fred P. Hochberg Announces Financing in Addis Ababa Today
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) has authorized nearly $130 million in financing to support the export of Boeing long-range aircraft and installed GE-90 engines to Ethiopian Airlines.
The transaction will support an estimated 700 American jobs in the aircraft and aircraft-engine manufacturing industry, according to an Ex-Im Bank estimate derived from U.S. Departments of Commerce and Labor data and methodology.
Ex-Im Bank Chairman Fred P. Hochberg announced the transaction today in Addis Ababa. Hochberg is in Ethiopia conducting meetings with government and business leaders as part of a week-long business development trip to India, Ethiopia and South Africa.
"Ex-Im Bank is pleased to add another transaction in our successful partnership with Ethiopian Airlines, which is supporting hundreds of jobs in the U.S. aerospace industry. This transaction also demonstrates the tremendous potential of Africa for U.S. exporters," said Ex-Im Bank Chairman Fred P. Hochberg. "Our financing of high-quality, ‘Made in the USA’ aircraft and engines is also helping Ethiopian Airlines continue to expand its service throughout Africa and beyond the continent."
From 2003 through 2013, Ex-Im Bank has approved more than $2.2 billion to finance exports of U.S.-manufactured aircraft and aircraft engines to Ethiopian Airlines. In May 2012, Ex-Im Bank authorized financing to support 10 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft to Ethiopian Airlines. Four of the aircraft were funded through a capital-markets bond issuance in November 2012.
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